Oregon Public Broadcasting

A new ad in the Washington State governor’s race accuses Democrat Chris Gregoire of cutting a sweetheart deal with tribal casinos.

The ad goes on to say Gregoire then benefitted from hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions from tribes. Correspondent Austin Jenkins truth squads the allegations.

The ad is paid for by the Republican Governors Association. It opens with a roulette table in a casino.

Ad: "$140 million. That’s what the Indian casinos could have paid Washington State. Critical funds for education and to cut taxes, but in a bizarre move Chris Gregoire’s office negotiated a deal to let the casinos keep all $140 million.”

The ad describes a 2007 tribal gaming compact Gregoire signed. In that compact Gregoire did not require the tribes to share their casino profits with the state.

The Governor says revenue sharing would have resulted in the state becoming addicted to tribal gambling money and led to a major expansion of tribal casinos.

As for the $140 million a year – that’s the high-side of what the state may have forefitted. It might have been much less.

In exchange for keeping their profits, Gregoire required the tribes to have fewer slot machines. The compact also doesn’t allow off-reservation casinos. But here’s where the ad gets personal.

Ad: “Now it’s reported Gregoire benefited from $650,000 in casino contributions. It’s been called a pay off and questioned by her own party. Chris Gregoire, the biggest cash winner of all.”

Gregoire hotly denies there was any quid pro quo. But it’s true Indian tribes have contributed directly to her campaign and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Washington State Democratic Party.

The Party has in turn funneled more than a million dollars to benefit Gregoire’s re-election campaign.

A Nevada tribal gaming expert has called it a payoff and a Democratic state senator criticized the Governor for the deal. But Gregoire was also praised by the late Republican King County prosecutor Norm Maleng.

He thought Gregoire was right to reject revenue sharing because it would have led to a much larger expansion of tribal gaming in Washington State.

See the ad