Columbia River casino planned

Thursday, May 23, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. -- Members of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs have voted to build a casino in the Columbia River Gorge.

More than 75 percent of the 940 voters favored the casino in the balloting, officials said Wednesday.

"The membership made this decision for our well-being and survival," Rudy Clements, chairman of the tribal gaming board, said.

Short of income because of declining timber revenue, leaders have been aggressively seeking a better location for a casino. Their small casino on the Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon brings in only about $9.7 million a year.

They want to attract more Portland-area gamblers and a $15.5 million a year profit by building one near Hood River.

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