Having put years of legal battles behind them, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Washington opens their $510 million, 368,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment complex today at 10 a.m. local time. The ilani casino is located on 156-acres near La Center, Washington – just 20 minutes from the population centers of Vancouver, WA, and Portland, Oregon.

“We are extremely pleased to open the doors to ilani and provide the local community with a source for economic growth,” said Cowlitz Tribal Chairman Bill Iyall in a recent press release.
“Our destination is expected to attract over 4.5 million visitors a year, and we feel certain that local businesses will benefit from increased visitation to the area.”

The new casino and amenities are expected to bring 1,200 full-time jobs to the area and 2% of net revenue will be given back to the community in the form of arts and education programs.

The casino floor at ilani covers 100,000 square feet and hosts 2,500 slots and 75 gaming tables while the rest of the are is filled out by 15 different restaurants, bars and retail outlets and a 2,500-seat meeting and entertainment venue set to host national and internationally recognized performers.

Muze will host The Sweet Monday night, a reformed band led by original bassist and vocalist Steve Priest. ’70s music fans will remember such hits as “Ballroom Blitz,” “Fox on the Run,” “Love is Like Oxygen,” “Little Willy,” and more.

ilani was developed by the Cowlitz Tribe and Salishan-Mohegan, owner, and operator of the Mohegan Sun, and one of the world’s foremost gaming and entertainment developers and operators with an international footprint including the up and coming $5 billion Mohegan Inspire integrated resort in Incheon South Korea.