With its legal remedies to try to stop the Cowlitz tribe’s 0 million iLani Casino from opening near La Center exhausted, the venerable New Phoenix Casino card room closed last week. The card room had been in business for a quarter century. It followed the Chips Casino in closing. Two card clubs remain, the Palace Casino and the Last Frontier Casino. A spokesman for the New Phoenix said, “The labor pool of skilled people to deal games is not great in this community and we’ve had a number of people who are leaving to go to ilani and staffing has become extremely difficult.”
This will hit the city of La Center which has, up until now, collected about $3.1 million annually in taxes from its card rooms. On the other hand, the additional 4.5 million expected to visit the iLani might have a collateral effect on local business, say some La Center merchants.
The iLani will have more than 100,000 square feet of gaming space, 3,000 parking spaces, 2,500 slots, 80 gaming tables, and 15 restaurants, including Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, and Line & Lure Seafood Kitchen.
The Steakhouse promises fine dining with “down-to-earth” vibes, featuring prime, dry-aged steaks, comfort food, and local seasonal dishes. The Steakhouse has locations in New York, Chicago and the Mohegan Sun
