Project Facts
The Coquille are seeking to build a 30,000 square-foot casino with unlimited slot machines in the heart of Medford. The Coquille are asking the U.S. Department of Interior to misinterpret federal law and put the proposed casino site into trust for the purposes of building a casino—even though the Coquille have no ancestral ties to the land.
The implications of the Coquille request have far reaching impacts across Oregon and Indian Country. Currently, the proposed casino site (a bowling alley and former restaurant) is not designated trust land. However, if the U.S. Department of Interior approves their request and allows the Coquille to put the property into trust, it will take the property off of Oregon’s tax rolls forever, taking away funding for our local schools and law enforcement.
More recently the Coquille have secretly purchased land adjacent to the property sited in their proposal, which means if approved and the federal government puts that initial land into trust it is just a matter of time before the total 45 acres follows, leaving the local community without any control or ability to stop it or require tax payments or other revenue sharing agreements.
Furthermore, this casino would open the door to the proliferation of casinos up and down I-5, with slot machines in convenience stores and truck stops across every community. If approved, community members, local government, and even the Oregon’s governor would be powerless to stop any future expansion, just as they opposed this proposal.
Bad for Medford – Bad for Oregon:
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The Coquille are asking the federal government to misinterpret federal law to benefit one Tribe bankrolled by out-of-state interests at the expense of Oregonians.
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By circumventing federal law, the Coquille want to remove property from public tax rolls and build a massive casino 170 miles away from their ancestral and reservation lands.
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By avoiding any financial commitments to the local community, the casino would undermine hardworking families, our schools, and public safety.
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This casino will not bring meaningful job growth to Medford. Instead, it will destroy local restaurants and business and jeopardize small businesses across the region.
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The implications of this decision are severe – if approved, the Coquille casino would open the door to the expansion of casinos up and down I-5 without any oversight or control from the citizens and elected officials of our state.
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The devastating long-term impacts of this project are irreversible for Medford, Jackson County, and the entire state of Oregon. If this door is opened, it will never be shut again.
