The Tulalips: A Case Study in Tribal Gaming in Washington

Prior to the advent of tribal gaming, the Tulalip Tribes were in trouble. The Tulalips are a conglomeration of Western Washington Native American Tribes whose land borders Interstate 5 to the east, Puget Sound to the west, 146th St. to the north and the Snohomish River to the south for a total of 22,000 acres (North). They had a 60% unemployment rate amongst their people, and the tribal entities' entire yearly income was $45,000 per year (North). Their primary source of income was leasing tribal land. There was really very little opportunity for tribal members within their lands for anything other than logging and seasonal fishing (North), until tribal gaming came along in the early 1990s and changed the fortune of this confederation of tribes.

In 1983, the Tulalip Tribes opened a Bingo Parlor on their land across Interstate 5 from Marysville, WA (North). They saved their earnings from that endeavor for nearly a decade until 1992, when they were able to open their own casino complete with slot machines and card tables. The casino did very well for boosting the tribes' income, and in May of 2004 the new Tulalip Casino opened for business. It boasts 2000 slot machines, 49 card tables, 3 restaurants, a cabaret and 3 free standing bars. This glitzy Vegas style casino has lifted the confederation out of abject poverty and into and entirely new era for their people.