View the final EIS document at: http://westplainseis.com/documents/final-eis/index.html
Citizens Against Casino Expansion is a collection of concerned business and community members across the greater Spokane region of Washington State opposed to the development of an off-reservation casino adjacent to Airway Heights proposed by the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The group’s mission is to inform the community of the harms this casino would cause while urging citizens to take action to prevent it.
The group is about encouraging smart growth and development for the region. We want to see Tribes succeed, but do not believe that off-reservation casinos are good for the community.
Citizens Against Casino Expansion believes that the development of another major casino in the West Plains would be bad for the community because:
- It could lead to a large scale expansion of gaming. If the Department of Interior begins granting off-reservation gaming exceptions to Tribes that already have casinos and just want better locations, where does it stop? This would be a dangerous precedent and is not in the best interest of our community. We don’t want to see casinos spring up in downtown Spokane or in the City of Spokane Valley. This could threaten community economies, safety and culture. The Spokane Tribe already has two casinos that they can develop in any way they choose.
- Spokane needs to protect Fairchild AFB. A new casino adjacent to Fairchild Air Force Base could endanger the base, the region’s largest employer and economic engine, through a process the military calls “Encroachment.” Encroachment has shut down other major bases across the nation–it could happen here. In addition, the military does not look favorably upon businesses next to bases that prey upon young servicemen and women such as casinos promoting gambling.
- It’s not smart development. Airway Heights already has one major casino. A second casino less than three miles away would, in effect, split the market. Jobs gained at one will likely come at the expense of jobs lost at the other. Airway Heights should focus on bringing manufacturing and other types of jobs to the community–jobs that will add to the net income of the community rather than deplete it.
Contact
For more information about Citizens Against Casino Expansion and its concerns with the Spokane Tribe’s proposed off-reservation casino or to sign your name to the growing list of business and community leaders joining the group, please write:
