In exchange, Tacoma allowed the tribe to open another Emerald Queen Casino in nearby Fife. That gaming venue commenced operations on Dec. 29, 2004.<\/p>\n
The Puyallup Tribe held on to its shuttered riverboat since it closed 19 years ago. But the boat has finally found a buyer in Spectra Crane and Marina, a Seattle-based firm that leases maritime vessels.<\/p>\n
\nThe riverboat served our tribe well and laid the foundation for us to open and operate the two premier casinos in the Northwest,”<\/strong> the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSpectra owner Boyer Halverson told Tacoma’s News Tribune <\/i>this week that plans for the former floating casino have not yet been determined. But he thinks he likely overpaid for the boat.<\/p>\n
“I can tell you that I probably paid too much,” Halverson admitted. “But it will be okay. We can make something out of it.”<\/p>\n
Built in 1995 by Louisiana-based Quality Shipyard and Kehl River Boats at a cost of $15 million — $30 million in today’s dollars — the three-story vessel with a roof deck has 70,000 square feet of interior space. The casino was able to board 2,000 people at a time.<\/p>\n
The vessel was constructed to mimic the classic paddlewheel riverboats that plied the Mississippi River in the 19th century.<\/p>\n
“Born on the bayou, this Cajun gem is a classic homage to the nation’s proud riverboating heritage, giving credence to any potential plans for a revival as a future clearwater palace — whether it’s anchored at port or just rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river,” the boat’s sale listing read prior to its sale.<\/p>\n
The asking price earlier this month was $1 million. Neither the tribe nor Halverson would confirm the final transaction price.<\/p>\n
Greener Pastures<\/b><\/h2>\n The newest Emerald Queen Casino is the tribe’s largest and glitziest property yet. The tribe opened the new integrated resort<\/a> in the midst of the pandemic in May 2020.<\/p>\nThe $400 million Emerald Queen Casino is adjacent to the former land-based Emerald Queen along I-5. The casino features more than 2,100 slots, 60 table games, and a 250-seat sportsbook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The original Emerald Queen Casino riverboat that helped assure the economic sovereignty of the Puyallup Tribe in Washington more than a quarter-century ago has been sold. One of 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington, the Puyallup Tribe, like so many other Native American communities across the US, turned to gaming in 1996 to serve as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":261375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84799,18456],"tags":[84961,82122,85122,82516,82477,85120,82181],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Emerald Queen Casino Riverboat Sold by Puyallup Tribe<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n