The federally-recognized Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have finally obtained approval to relocate the Kwataqnuk Resort & Casino to a new standalone facility around a mile west of its current location. The tribal gambling-friendly facility is currently located on the banks of Polson Bay, and the new location in question is a little more than one mile west to a 79-acre parcel of land that has recently been annexed by the tribe to the local city.

Earlier this week, members of the Polson City Commission voted 6-1 in favour of annexation of the tribal land to pave way for the new casino and other facilities to connect to the municipal services. The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner Tony Isbell, who argued that the plan could lead to traffic-related issues at the Polson Bridge.

On the other hand, all those who voted in favour the relocation of the casino expressed optimism that it could lead to growth in the area, benefitting all the stakeholders.

The tribe’s proposed casino at the new site will be a standalone, 25K-square-foot structure equipped with hundreds of gaming machines. The current casino is offering 200 slot machines.

Daniel Hansen, CEO of S&K Gaming, the tribes’ gaming unit, told the Polson City Commission. “Moving the casino, we have now out of the resort allows the resort to focus on family-friendly things. Moving the casino to the outskirts of town also allows us to focus on the casino as a business instead of a resort amenity.”

It may be noted here that the City of Polson in the Treasure State requires annexation for all properties for connection to municipal services like water and electricity. Recently, the tribes petitioned the Polson City Commission for the annexation of 79 acres of land for a new standalone casino, in addition to a low-cost residential housing community, a visitors’ center, and an RV park.

The plot of land in question is situated west of Polson, and it is connected to the city via the Polson Bridge across the Flathead River. Located just south of the intersection of Highway 922 and Irvine Flats Road, it is in close proximity the Polson Airport. The tribal operators are quite optimistic that the Kwataqnuk Flathead Lake Resort & Casino will the lakefront resort even more appealing to families, especially to those who love to frolic in a smoke-free environment.