The Cowlitz Tribe’s ilani casino resort will reopen for business at noon on May 28, tribal officials said Monday evening.
The casino and entertainment venue announced on March 16 that it would close for the remainder of the month due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The closure was extended, and ilani president and general manager Kara Fox-LaRose said the casino would base its operations on guidance from Gov. Jay Inslee. The nearby Cowlitz Crossing gas station and convenience store have remained open.
In a Monday press release, ilani officials stated that the casino would resume operations with enhanced safety protocols in place, including reduced and distanced seating at all restaurants, temperature checks for all guests at the entrances, face masks for team members and frequent sanitizing of high-touch surfaces.
Some game machines will be shut down to encourage greater physical distance between patrons, and Plexiglas barriers will be installed at key locations, including the table games.
“We are optimistic that we can help the community maintain its momentum flattening the curve while implementing enhanced health protocols that safely allow our employees and guests to reconnect with all that ilani has to offer,” Fox-LaRose said in a statement.
The casino’s meeting and events center, including the main Cowlitz Ballroom show venue, will remain closed. All events that had been planned for May have been postponed or rescheduled, and the casino will monitor the situation over the summer to decide on a plan for future programming.
The reopening will be preceded by a special blessing and smudging ceremony at 10 a.m., led by tribal chairman Bill Iyall, and a ribbon-cutting event. After having their temperatures checked, guests will be led into ilani to the sound of drummers from the Cowlitz Drum Group, according to the press release.
“In Native American cultures, a smudging ceremony is an opportunity to purify ourselves and our surroundings,” Iyall explained in a statement. “It is a powerful ritual and holds great significance as we move to resume gathering all walks of life through ilani’s doors, but within new constraints established for the well-being of all.”
ilani opened in 2017 and was developed by the Cowlitz Tribe and Salishan-Mohegan, a partnership that includes the Cowlitz and Mohegan tribes and a subsidiary of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. Fox-LaRose stressed the importance of the casino to the Cowlitz Tribe in Monday’s announcement.
“Since its opening, ilani has grown into an essential business for the Cowlitz Tribe, generating vital funds for basic government services such as health care, education, elder programs, infrastructure and human services,” she said. “The casino revenue also funds services needed to address COVID-19 effects and has an impact on our surrounding Ridgefield community.”
Fox-LaRose stated in March that the tribe had chosen to close the casino to match the other business closures in Inslee’s stay-at-home order, but the May 28 reopening date does not appear to be aligned with any particular part of Washington’s “Safe Start” reopening plan. The Cowlitz Tribe enjoys sovereign rights, so Inslee has no say over the casino’s reopening date.
ilani isn’t the only Washington casino to move toward reopening; the Angel of the Winds Casino in Arlington opened its doors May 13 and the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife, the Clearwater Casino in Suquamish and the Little Creek Casino and Red Wind Casino in the south Puget Sound area all followed suit Monday.
Inslee indicated last week that he thought the reopenings were coming too soon, although he commended the tribes for taking safety precautions.
“I have expressed to the tribes I would very much be more pleased if their openings were consistent with some of the business openings in our state,” he said at a May 14 briefing.
Iyall said ilani’s leaders worked with the Cowlitz Tribe, the governor’s office and local health authorities to develop a plan for reopening in a “safe and responsible way.”
“Extensive thought and planning has gone into our reopening plan, including new health and safety measures in place for how we will keep our guests, team members, and community safe upon our reopening, and beyond,” he said in a statement.
