Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003 | 10:57 a.m.
Original plans for the Three Rivers Casino had called for a hotel and a convention center, but those have both been scrapped.
And before Monday, officials from the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians had repeatedly stated that the casino would cost $26 million and employ 300 to 400 people. But now, the tribes are saying they will start with a $12 million project of 16,000 square feet and with 120 employees.
Officials said one reason they decided on a more "modest" facility was because, as the ninth casino to be constructed in Oregon, the tribes face stiff, experienced competition.
"We'll see how it goes, how it's accepted," said Tim Rose, president of Las Vegas-based R.O.I. Gaming Inc., which is financing the $12 million project. "The other eight tribal governments have had more than five years of a head start on us."
The casino will have 225 slot machines and six blackjack tables, said Bob Garcia, vice chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
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