This casino hotel is 3 mi (4.9 km) from Emerald Queen Casino and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) from Wild Waves Water Park and Enchanted Village. Popular Hotel Amenities and Features Try your luck at the casino and enjoy other recreational amenities including a nightclub and an outdoor pool.

Nation Tribe: Puyallup Tribe of Indians

New Emerald Queen Casino

2920 East R Street
Tacoma, WA 98404-4974

(253) 594-7777
(888) 831-7655

The original Emerald Queen Casino was a Mississippi riverboat casino that was purchased by the Puyallup Tribe in 1996 and brought to the port of Tacoma. In 2002 the tribe built a bingo hall at the present location of the Emerald Queen Casino. It opened on July 13, 2002. Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel in Tacoma offers your favorite table games like Baccarat, Blackjack, Spanish 21, Let it Ride, Fortune Pai Gow, Craps, Roulette, and more! Find your lucky seat at any one of more than 56 tables, available in our smoking and non-smoking areas. The permanent structure of the old casino is located in the old Puyallup Bingo Hall. The I-5 location opened originally in 2001, and the tent addition was opened in 2004. The Fife location includes a casino and a 140-room hotel. The tribe adapted a Best Western.

On June 8, 2020 the new Emerald Queen Casino replaced the Tacoma I-5 casino located at 2024 E 29th St in Tacoma, WA 98404-4974.

The new Emerald Queen Casino totals 310,000 square feet and includes a 110,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 21,000-square-foot event center with 2,000 seats and a 200-room hotel with spa and conference rooms.

New Emerald Queen Casino 0pened June 8, 2020

VIDEO: New Emerald Queen Casino opens in Tacoma - Courtesy of KING 5.

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Emerald Queen Casino History

Emerald Queen Casino has two locations: The Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino in Fife and this casino the Emerald Queen Casino I-5 in Tacoma.

The original Emerald Queen Casino was a Mississippi riverboat casino that was purchased by the Puyallup Tribe in 1996 and brought to the port of Tacoma.

In 2002 the tribe built a bingo hall at the present location of the Emerald Queen Casino. It opened on July 13, 2002. In time the facility was converted to a casino and expanded with the addition of three tents.

The riverboat casino was shut down in 2004 after the tribe purchased a hotel in Fife and converted it into the present day casino and hotel.

The Tacoma I-5 casino was shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. It was replaced by a newly-constructed, $400 casino on R Street.

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Gaming

Entertainment

Entertainment center is 21,000 square feet with seating for 2,000 guests.

Restaurants

Riverbank Buffet
Puyalepabs Cafe
Waterway Deli
Paddle Wheel Coffee & Bakery
Summit Sports Bar

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New Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma opens June 8

June 2, 2020

The newly-constructed, $400M Emerald Queen Casino will open June 8 replacing the former EQC Tacoma I-5 Casino. A morning ceremony and tribal members will preceed the public opening scheduled for noon.

Health and safety measure similar to those at the Fife casino will be followed in Tacoma. Temperature checks must be passed to enter, face masks must be worn, and social distancing is a priority.

The 315,000-square-foot casino has 2,100 slot machines, 5 restaurants and a 2,000-seat event center. A hotel with 150-200 guest rooms is planned as a future addition.

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Preview of the New Emerald Queen Casino

March 21, 2020

Courtesy of THE NEWS TRIBUNE

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Emerald Queen $370 million replacement casino will open February 2020

July 24, 2018

Plans to develop a permanent building to replace the current structure for the Emerald Queen Casino are moving forward. The casino is located in Tacoma and owned by the Puyallup Tribe.

A study session was held by the Tacoma City Council where an update on the facility was given.

The new larger building will cost $310 million to complete. It is expected to be open by December of next year.

Located on East 29th Street, there will be a raised buffet and bar that will straddle the street. Other dining options will include a deli, a cafe that will be open 24 hours, and a sports bar.

The casino will be 310,000 square feet. An event center will be 21,000 square feet and be able to accommodate 2,000 seats for guests.

In the 1990's the tribe started their gaming industry. During this time period, it was not a financial possibility for them to build a large scale casino. They purchased a showboat and sailed it along the West Coast to it's new location on the Blair Waterway in a section owned by the tribe. Until 2004 this was the Emerald Queen Casino.

When the Blair Waterway under went an expansion project the showboat casino was closed. A Best Western Hotel in Fife was then converted into the next location for the casino.

The Tacoma location was previously used as a bingo hall. Several new tent structures were added to expand the bingo facility into a casino. This is the current location of the Emerald Queen Casino.

The Puyallup Tribe believe now is the time to build a larger and permanent casino facility.

Under the design plan, guests will have views of the surrounding area in each direction. There will be natural light. Traditional tribal baskets will inspire the colors for the exterior of the building. Carved wood elements will greet guests at the entrance of the high limit gaming area.

A hotel will be added in the next phase of development. It will cost $65 million to complete. There will be between 150 to 200 guest rooms. Meeting and conference space. A spa. Also, a restaurant located on the roof of the building. This phase of development is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2020.

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The Puyallup, Spuyaləpabš or S’Puyalupubsh (pronounced: Spoy-all-up-obsh) (“generous and welcoming behavior to all people (friends and strangers) who enter our lands.”) are a federally recognized Coast SalishNative Americantribe from western Washington state, United States. They were relocated onto reservation lands in what is today Tacoma, Washington, in late 1854, after signing the Treaty of Medicine Creek with the United States. Today^[when?] they have an enrolled population of 6,000, of whom 3,000 live on the reservation.^{[citation needed]}

The Puyallup Indian Reservation is one of the most urban Indian reservations in the United States. It is located primarily in northern Pierce County, with a very small part extending north into the city of Federal Way, in King County. Parts of seven communities in the Tacoma metropolitan area extend onto reservation land; in addition the tribe controls off-reservation trust land.

In decreasing order of included population, the communities are Tacoma, Waller, Fife, Milton, Edgewood, Puyallup, and Federal Way. The reservation has a land area of 73.935 km² (28.547 sq mi), and a 2000 census resident population of 41,341 persons. These are predominantly non-Native Americans. The tribe has 6,000 enrolled members, of whom 3,000 live on the reservation.^{[citation needed]}

According to the census, more than 72 percent of the residents within the reservation boundaries identified as only Caucasian (European-American), and 3.2 percent identify as solely of Native American ancestry. The Puyallup, as with other Native American tribes, have long assimilated other ethnicities through intermarriage and adoption. They have brought up ethnically mixed children to identify with the tribe, both culturally and ethnically.

History[edit]

The Puyallup tribe originally spoke the Txʷǝlšucid or Twulshootseed local dialect of the Southern Lushootseed language of the Salishan family of languages, predominant among Northwest Coast indigenous peoples. They share a culture similar to that of other Northwest tribes, with a diet that depended on fishing salmon and other regional fish.

Reservation[edit]

With a land area of 73.935 km² (28.547 sq mi), the reservation (47°14′38″N122°22′15″W / 47.24389°N 122.37083°W) is one of the largest in the Northwest. Its size notwithstanding, it is often not shown on Washington maps because it has been so thoroughly sold off to non-Natives.^[1]

Due to land sales at a time when land was distributed to householders and other developments, neighboring jurisdictions have territory within the reservation. The city of Fife, Washington and the unincorporated community of Fife Heights, Washington lies entirely within the reservation as does much of the Port of Tacoma. The total population within the reservation is predominantly non-Native and not tribal members, according to the 2000 census.

From the mid-nineteenth century, European Americans began to enter the area in greater numbers. The United States wanted to enable development of lands and settlement by these people. They arranged with the Puyallup and several other tribes, under the Treaty of Medicine Creek (1854), for the tribes to cede land to the US and go to the more restricted area of a reservation. This was initially designated for residence only by tribal members. The Puyallup and United States representatives had such different conceptions of property that they did not fully understand each other's position. While the tribe lost most of its historic territory, it retained rights for fishing, hunting and gathering on that land.

The Port of Tacoma and the Puyallup Tribe reached a $163 million settlement in 1989–1990, enabled by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Settlement Act of 1989. It became one of the largest 20th century Indian land claims settlements.^[2][3][4]

Government[edit]

In 1936 the Tribal Government was formed under the Wheeler Howard Act (also known as the Indian Reorganization Act), authorizing Native American tribes to re-establish their governments. The tribe wrote a constitution creating an elected government of representation at the Tribal Council, supported by a Tribal Court for certain level of issues among its tribal members.

Tribal Council[edit]

The tribal council is an elected body of seven people who oversee the operation of all the tribal programs. The Tribal Council is vested with power to govern by the Constitution. The Council acts as both the legislative and administrative bodies of the government. Members are elected by the general membership for three-year terms. Council members select a chair and vice chair. On June 7, 2019, the Puyallup Tribal Council chose David Z. Bean as chairman and Bill Sterud as vice chairman.

The tribe operates numerous programs that are open to the public beyond enrolled members. Among its programs, the tribe operates the Chief Leschi School for tribal children.

Tribal Court[edit]

The Tribal Court and Children's Court (hereinafter “Court”) were established by the Puyallup Tribe's Constitution. The court's mission is to apply the written laws of its legislature, while recognizing the inherent customs and traditions of its people. The Court is devoted to protecting people's due process rights. The tribe explicitly works to protect children and elders, “who are considered sacred”. The Court's Chief Justice is Darwin Long Fox.

Economic development[edit]

Initially the federal government wanted Native Americans to develop the family farms then typical of European Americans. This was not a concept that the Puyallup were comfortable adopting. They remained deeply involved in fishing, which constituted such an important part of their culture that it is surrounded by ritual and spirituality.

With economic and social changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, the tribe needed to develop other sources of employment and income than farming for its people. In the 20th century, the tribe generated income through cigarette sales. They could sell them at a lower price and tax-free to non-Natives, as their reservation is sovereign territory and they need not pay state taxes from their businesses. In recent years,^[when?] the tribe signed an agreement with the State of Washington to sell cigarettes with taxes paid. The tribe and the state have a sharing of tax revenue collected from sales of cigarettes.

Casino history[edit]

Since the late 20th century, numerous states have used gambling, based on lotteries and other methods, as a source of revenue to support programs wanted by taxpayers. Changes in federal law and negotiations with such states have enabled federally recognized tribes on many reservations to establish bingo and other gambling facilities to generate revenue.

Searching for new revenues and employment for its people, the Puyallup opened the Emerald Queen Casino in 1996 on a paddlewheelriverboat, the Emerald Queen, which it berthed in the Port of Tacoma. In 2004, as part of an agreement with the Port to accommodate further commercial development of the waterway, the tribe closed the operation on the boat and its shore-side property. The Emerald Queen riverboat is still located at the site, but is closed indefinitely.

The tribe has developed related gaming and entertainment facilities in two other locations, keeping the name Emerald Queen Casino for its overall operation. In the 21st century, a majority of the tribe's income is generated from the gambling casinos and related restaurant, retail and hotel facilities.

In total area, the casino is one of the largest^{[clarification needed]} in Washington state. It has locations in both Tacoma and Fife. The Tacoma location, includes the casino, a restaurant and buffet and an entertainment venue hosting singers and comedians. The entertainment venue, in collaboration with Brian Halquist Productions, Inc., is host to the Battle at the Boat boxing series, which is the longest-running casino boxing series in the Pacific Northwest.^[5] A majority of the casino is located in a new 310,000 sq ft multi-level structure, which opened in June 2020; also includes a hotel and parking garage.^[6] The original I-5 location was intended as a temporary facility, and closed permanently in May 2020. It has continued to be used pending other development. The permanent structure of the old casino is located in the old Puyallup Bingo Hall. The I-5 location opened originally in 2001, and the tent addition was opened in 2004.

The Fife location includes a casino and a 140-room hotel. The tribe adapted a Best Western hotel for these purposes after purchasing the building in 2004. After renovation, the casino was opened in early 2005. The tribe undertook a major expansion in summer 2007, building two parking garages, a pool, a spa, new administrative towers, a ballroom, and a larger gaming area. The casino's restaurant, formerly named the Pacific Rim, was moved to the south tower and renamed the Tatoosh Grill. What is now the Pacific Rim Buffet is located on the ground floor of the tower.

A major, $370 million expansion of the I-5 facility is scheduled to be completed in December 2019.^[7]

Other ventures[edit]

The Puyallup Tribe has used its economic development branch, Marine View Ventures, to expand into operating several gas stations on the reservation. In the early 21st century, it was using gambling revenues to invest in a partnership for a large container facility at the Port of Tacoma. When completed, it will be the largest such facility in the Northwest and will connect the tribe to the shipping trade.^[8]

The Puyallup Tribe has also invested in the state's legal cannabis market. The tribe's first recreational cannabis store, Commencement Bay Cannabis, is located in Fife, adjacent to the casino itself.

References[edit]

1. ^Dan McShane (February 14, 2016), 'Puyallup Reservation Map', Reading the Washington Landscape (blog)
2. ^Rosier, Paul C. (2003), Native American Issues, Contemporary American ethnic issues, Greenwood, p. 67, ISBN9780313320026
3. ^Timothy Egan (August 29, 1988), 'Indian tribe agrees to drop claim to Tacoma land for $162 million', The New York Times
4. ^David Wilma (October 21, 2006), Puyallup Tribe of Indians accepts a $162 million settlement for lost land on March 25, 1990, HistoryLink
5. ^http://nwfightscene.com/BATB110.htm
6. ^https://www.500nations.com/casinos/waEmeraldQueen.asp
7. ^Sailor, Craig (July 24, 2018). 'Puyallup Tribe's new mega casino will be Vegas on I-5 when it opens in 2019'. The News Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
8. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-09-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Muckleshoot Bingo

• Puyallup Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Washington United States Census Bureau
• Communities on the Puyallup Reservation, United States Census Bureau

Emerald Queen Casino Bingo Tacoma Wa

External links[edit]

Emerald Queen Casino Bingo

• Puyallup Tribe of Indians, official website
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). 'Puyallup Indians' . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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