The Board of Trustees of Oregon’s Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation June 5 voted to authorize an million expansion to the Wildhorse Resort & Casino that will include a second hotel tower, a bowling alley, more screens for the Cineplex and five more restaurants.
The casino would add 300 slot machines, for a total of 1,500 and six gaming tables, for a total of 20.
The expansion is aiming for a summer of 2020 completion date. It would be designed by Thalden Boyd Emery Architects.
CEO Gary George said financing had been available for up to $137 million but, using the current earnings as measure, the tribe decided to only borrow $85,000. That ensures that no tribal members, who George calls “shareholders,” will see a reduction in their distribution.
He added that the project would probably generate additional discretionary revenue and allow distributions to the members to increase. It will also, he said, add about 100 new jobs, for a total of about 860 during the busiest months of the year.
Besides adding a hotel, some of the older rooms will be demolished, so the net increase in rooms will be 115, for a total of 416. In the past, said George, the hotel has been operating at or near capacity.
The addition of a 32-lane bowling alley, among other amenities, could add to the number of people staying at night. This is especially true since a bowling alley that served the area closed several years ago. Some members of the tribe visited successful bowling alleys operated by other gaming tribes.
A multi-events center and outdoor arena suitable for concerts is also part of the expansion.
The existing Cineplex would be enlarged and made “more elegant” and state-of-the-art according to the CEO.
