Risky gamble? Puyallup Tribe may reopen EQC casinos in May as Inslee’s shutdown continues

Few Puget Sound development projects are as eye-popping as the new Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, lighting the night with slot machine colors as it overlooks Interstate 5 along Portland Avenue.

And few projects have suffered from worse timing.

We feel bad for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians; the unforeseen COVID-19 outbreak compelled them to delay the spring grand opening of their $400 million casino.

But we’re encouraged that they prioritized public health, despite the hemorrhaging of revenues that support tribal members and the local economy; the tribe is one of Pierce County’s top 10 public employers.

Now tribal leaders must keep making safety their highest priority as they get closer to welcoming guests back to the EQC.

The Puyallups are consulting with other Washington tribes and may reopen casinos as soon as mid to late May, spokesman Michael Thompson told us Friday. He didn’t go into detail but said several precautions would ensure hygiene and social distancing.

Whenever the new EQC does open, there’s no chance it will operate at full capacity, with 2,133 gaming machines and restaurants serving up to 25,000 meals a day. Not for the rest of this year, probably longer.

As sovereign governments, Washington tribes are free to move faster than the rest of the state. That will be the case if they reopen this month; Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday he’s extending his stay-home order until May 31.

But they must be responsible when deciding when and how to resume business enterprises, public gatherings and schools. As Inslee and others like to say, recovery from the coronavirus shutdown should be done with a dial, not a switch.

Pressure to turn up the dial will surely grow. Some Northwest tribes have already begun unlocking their hospitality industries.

The Squaxin Island Tribe reopened its Salish Cliffs Golf Course near Shelton with added safety measures last Tuesday, a full week before Inslee’s statewide golf course reopening takes effect. In Idaho, the Coeur D’Alene Tribe started welcoming guests back to its casino, days before Gov. Brad Little’s statewide stay-home order expired Friday.

Certainly, Washington tribes are also eager to cash in on their exclusive new sports-gambling franchise, granted by state lawmakers this year — although they can’t get far without active pro sports leagues to bet on.

Inslee praised tribes in a recent interview with our Editorial Board, saying they’ve used their discretion wisely. But he added that what they do is ultimately out of his hands.

“They are sovereign,” he said, “and they have sovereign decisions to make.”

The Puyallups had planned to open their new Tacoma gambling palace in late March, replacing the tribe’s current I-5 casino and complementing the smaller EQC up the freeway in Fife.

As it took shape this past year, the casino stood as a monument to tribal prosperity, native heritage and investment in the local economy. (Though to some it was more like a monument to garish excess, profligate spending and dangerous addiction.)

Today it stands as a tribute to forbearance, a sign of the tribe’s contribution to the region’s health and safety.

Washington tribes deserve credit for responding quickly to Inslee’s Feb. 29 emergency proclamation and March 25 stay-home order. Many tribes, including the Puyallups, were days ahead of their non-tribal counterparts in shutting things down — no small sacrifice for cultures steeped in community gatherings and rituals.

One example: A March 10 ceremonial blessing for a pair of traditional story poles was livestreamed with minimal in-person attendance, partly because of coronavirus and partly because of construction work nearby.

The carved poles will tower over the new casino’s entrance. When will employees and guests walk under them? That’s the multi-million dollar question.

There’s urgency for the tribe because it doesn’t have resources to fund membership benefits and services past June, according to conservative budget estimates. Even if gambling restarts before then, it won’t be on the same scale, and several weeks of empty casino floors will hit hard.

“Reopening the casinos won’t be enough to keep up with our growing membership and sustain current benefits and services,” the Puyallup Tribal Council wrote in an April 14 letter to members. “Many people speak of ‘getting back to normal.’ We have to prepare for a new normal.”

So does the Pierce County economy. The tribe was the sixth-largest public employer in 2019 with 3,422 employees, roughly two-thirds of whom were non-native Washingtonians.

Adopting a “new normal” will be economically painful to governments and socially disruptive to EQC regulars, but there’s simply no alternative. Standing elbow to elbow on casino floors, in restaurants, concert venues, spas and conference centers would invite a surge of new infections faster than you can say “second wave.”

It’s a bet that nobody in Pierce County should take.

This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 8:30 AM.