05/21/2003

Associated Press

A new study says fewer Oregonians gambled at the state's eight tribal casinos last year, but that those who did spent more per capita than in 2001.

Oregonians last year spent $357 million gambling at tribal casinos in the state, up almost 15 percent from the $310.7 million in 2001, according to a study by Bob Whelan, an economist with ECONorthwest, a Eugene-based economic consulting firm.

Despite the spending increase, Whelan found the number of Oregonians going to casinos is falling. In a survey of 800 residents, only 17.4 percent said they gambled at a casino in Oregon, down from the 24.5 percent reported in 1998.

"The tribal casinos aren't new anymore," Whelan said.

Whelan found that the casinos last year were helped by the weak state and national economies. "When the Oregon economy weakens, consumers opt to spend more of the leisure time dollars locally," he said.

"This came at the expense of Las Vegas and Reno."

But he said gambling in all its forms does not seem to be on the decline in Oregon.

Oregon residents spent more than $1.17 billion on gambling in all forms last year, up about 4 percent from 2001. The 2002 figure works out to $446.52 per Oregon adult, up $14.27 from the previous year.

That includes gambling in Oregon as well as trips out of state.

The Oregon Lottery accounted for 56.4 percent of total gambling in Oregon, down slightly from 2001.

Whelan said the drop is largely due to increases in the share of tribal casino business and a decrease in the number of Washington state residents playing Oregon Lottery-run video poker.

Oregon residents last year spent $458 million playing video poker, up 5.5 percent from 2001.

Whelan said that because the state has forced Oregon tribal casinos to locate far apart from each other, usually on historic tribal lands in remote rural areas, the casinos haven't been able to form a gaming-cluster destination.

Oregon casinos "have done an exceptional job" at catering to local gamblers through loyalty programs and advertising, Whelan said.

Whelan found that the largest demographic group that regularly visits Oregon casinos had annual household incomes of $40,000 to $70,000.