Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. receives council approval for casino ‘refresh’ project

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

If you build it, they will come. Or more specifically, if slot machines are located in a highly visible area, the business will likely have increased profits.

Tribal Council approved a loan to Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc. for up to $13.6 million for a remodeling project to do just that at its Wednesday, March 25, meeting

The project, referred to as a “refresh,” would include relocating the sports bar, improving entry gaming opportunities and a restroom remodel at Spirit Mountain Casino. Work is expected to be complete by December. The loan money will be taken out of the Tribe’s TriState Capital Bank line of credit.

“I’d like to take a moment to thank our executive team,” Tribal Council member and SMGI Board of Directors member Kathleen George said. “This has been a very long path to get here finally to a project that I think has very broad support. … Also, part of this project, the relocation part, is for a very good business reason. Both with our in-house slot floor expertise and the analytics that are available these days to any modern casino, using where the sports bar currently is to have a high-energy slot floor, where the first thing people see when they walk through the main doors of the casino are opportunities to game, is projected to bring new net revenues to our business. I really appreciate that and the forward-looking analysis of our current property and how can we use (it) to really maximize that slot revenue, which we know is the bread and butter of our business.”

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a $240,000 grant application to the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation for the Tribe’s Indigenous Place-Keeping Fellowship, art summit support and contract art in Grand Ronde;
• Approved reappointing Tracy Moreland and Shelley Hanson to the Editorial Board with terms ending March 31, 2029;
• And approved enrolling eight infants, one emergency non-infant and 14 non-infants into the Tribe because they meet the enrollment requirements in the Tribal Constitution and Enrollment Ordinance.

Additionally, Tribal Council set the agenda for the next General Council meeting. It will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 12, in a hybrid format on Zoom and in-person at the Lane Community College Longhouse in Eugene and will feature a report from the Tribal Health & Wellness Department.

To watch the entire meeting, visit www.grandronde.org and click on the Videos tab.