Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort

Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort
Address 15347 Suquamish Way NE
Suquamish, WA 98392
Opening date 1995
Number of rooms 183
Total gaming space 1200 Slots
Owner Suquamish tribe
Website clearwatercasino.com

The Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort (also known as the Clearwater Casino) is a casino and hotel located in Kitsap County, Washington and owned by Port Madison Enterprises, the economic development authority of the Suquamish tribe. It is one of two Native American casinos in the county.

History

The land on which the Clearwater Casino is sited was purchased by the Suquamish in 1988 and, early on, hosted a tribal smoke shop. In 1992 the Suquamish tribe opened a bingo hall on the site. This was followed by a fabric tent housing a small casino in 1995. A permanent casino building was constructed in 2003, followed by an 85-room hotel in 2006.[1] As of 2015 a further expansion is underway designed to increase convention and meeting space and grow hotel capacity by an additional 98 rooms.[2]

The Clearwater Casino pictured in early 2015.

Initially the land on which the casino was located was tribal-owned, but not part of the designated tribal trust lands. As such, property taxes were paid by the Suquamish to Kitsap County. A 1991 attempt by the tribe to re-designate the site as tribal territory failed due to the presence of liens on the property. The tribe began another attempt to have the casino property re-designated trust land in 2003, a process that finally saw fruition in 2009. Prior to the transfer, local government officials estimated the re-designation would cost the county approximately $458,000 per year in lost tax revenue.[3]

Gaming

According to the casino, it operates more than 1200 slot machines, as well as keno and table games such a roulette and craps. The casino also has a poker room.[4]

Economic impact

In 2007, trade magazine Indian Gaming reported the tribe's several businesses, of which the casino is the largest, created a local economic impact of more than $138 million.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Pritchett, Rachel (10 January 2013). "Suquamish Clearwater Casino plans huge expansion". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Walker, Richard. "Suquamish Tribe’s economic boom ‘breathtaking’". North Kitsap Herald (3 February 2015). Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Casino land closer to trust". North Kitsap Herald. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "About Us". clearwaterscasino.com. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Leigh, April. "Suquamish Tribe: The Business of Being in Northwest Indian Country". Indian Gaming (July 2007).