Ilani Casino Resort
| Ilani Casino Resort | |
|---|---|
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| Address | 1 Cowlitz Way Ridgefield, Washington |
| Opening date | April 24, 2017 |
| Casino type | Indian |
| Owner | Cowlitz Indian Tribe |
| Architect | Friedmutter Group |
| Coordinates | 45°51′12.1″N 122°42′26.2″W / 45.853361°N 122.707278°WCoordinates: 45°51′12.1″N 122°42′26.2″W / 45.853361°N 122.707278°W |
| Website | ilaniresort |
The Ilani Casino Resort (/eɪˈlæneɪ/ ay-LAN-ay) is a casino operated by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and located near La Center, Washington. The casino opened on April 24, 2017, after a lengthy legal battle over the tribe's right to establish a reservation to build the casino on.
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe was formally recognized by the U.S. federal government on February 14, 2000, consisting of 3,700 members but lacking an Indian reservation. In the 2000s, the newly-recognized Cowlitz Tribe began planning for a casino and hotel complex on trust lands near La Center to bring in revenue.
The Cowlitz Tribe were granted a gambling license by the National Indian Gaming Commission in 2005. In 2013, the Cowlitz Tribe were granted the rights to establish a 152-acre (62 ha) reservation near La Center along Interstate 5, which would be home to a casino pending local approval. The reservation was formally established in March 2015, allowing for construction to begin after the resolution of an ongoing lawsuit in federal courts.
In December 2015, the Cowlitz Tribe announced that it had entered into a financing agreement with the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, owners of the Mohegan Sun mega-casino, to fund the project's $510 million cost. Members of the Cowlitz tribe broke ground on the casino on February 14, 2016, along with local politicians and representatives from the Mohegan Tribe. The casino was named "Ilani" in June 2016, using the Cowlitz word for "sing".
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