The Colville recently confirmed they initiated the development process by submitting a request to transfer 184 acres near Pasco's King City Truck Stop into a federal trust. 'Because Colville's rights don't extend to Pasco, this means they do not have the tribal right to open a casino in Pasco, and they never will,' said Gerald Lewis, chair of the Yakama Nation. It says the Colville don't have rights to the territory the Yakama ceded in the treaty. The tribe is actively scouting suitable locations in Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, according to the Tri-City Herald.īoth tribes claim the Pasco area through the Palouse Tribe, with the Yakama noting that the Palouse were signatories to its 1855 treaty with the U.S. However, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation recently revived objections to the Colville plan on treaty grounds while disclosing that they, too, intend to site their second casino in the Tri-Cities.
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation took the lead in 2019 when they bought land in Pasco and disclosed plans for a casino, travel plaza, and possibly a water park. Two tribes in Washington are competing to bring the state's $3.1 billion tribal gaming industry to the Tri-Cities.
