In the past decade, as gamblers shifted from pulltabs and punchboards to electronic games at Indian casinos, the Washington Gambling Commission staff has decreased from 174 to 134, or 23 percent. Now it’s downsizing again, and notified 15 people they would be laid off. But as the commission staff has declined, gambling in Washington has increased more than 400 percent since tribal casinos opened in 1996, even though gambling licenses are down by more than one-fifth since 2005. And pulltabs today make up about 2 percent of gambling operators’ net receipts.
Some bar owners blame the drop in pulltab revenues on the 2005 statewide ban on smoking in public places. For example, Jason Lindquist, co-owner of the West End Pub and Grill in Tacoma, said, “We like the place nonsmoking now but it took a certain customer away and they went straight to the tribal gaming, because they don’t follow the same rule.”
In addition, said W. Ron Allen, director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, younger gamblers who are used to playing video games want the interactivity of the electronic games. These days fewer gamblers want to play cards, even at casinos, Allen said, and even fewer want to play pulltabs when they can play slot machines that essentially are electronic pull tabs.
The tribes do not pay the state a percentage of revenues, but they do reimburse the state gaming commission for expenses. Allen said tribes believe the state gaming commission duplicates their own efforts. “The tribes’ revenue is mandated by law to be used for general public purposes, so we have to show that we’re using it for community, education, etcetera,” Allen said.
Meanwhile, Amy Hunter, director of the gaming commission’s communications and legal division, said criminal complaints and investigations increased more than 20 percent from 2005 through 2013.“We have this statewide mission we need to continue to carry out, and we want to be in the best position to do what the legislature and citizens expect us to do.” She said when the legislature reconvenes in January, the commission will request more than $2 million from the state’s general fund to pay for undercover investigations.
