Lowry already has signed gaming compacts with 18 other tribes under the 1988 federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Ocean Shores officials have told the state that the casino would be a boon to a resort area that has trouble attracting visitors in the off-season. The tribe hopes the casino will create jobs, provide money for tribal programs and scholarships and spur economic development in neighboring areas. The land currently is occupied by a flea market.
The Quinaults plan to build their casino on Indian land in an area known as Hogan’s Corner, located 12 miles south of their reservation on the coastal road that heads into the resort town of Ocean Shores.
Mike Lowry said he will sign a gaming agreement today with the Quinault Indian Nation that will authorize the first state-approved casino located outside the boundaries of an Indian reservation. A crossroads in Grays Harbor County is set to make the transition from country flea market to bustling casino.
