Big Game Hunters

But then, there are the income figures Taylor cites. In spite of all the billions of dollars that casinos have brought to reservations, the income level of Native Americans, as of the 2000 Census, remains dismal. Statewide, median per capita Native American income is approximately $15,446 a year, whereas the average for all Washingtonians is approximately $26,000. Ironically, on local reservations where casinos are located, the average individual's annual income stands at just under $11,000.

Some tribes have sought to directly jump-start their members' incomes by providing large per-capita payments from casino revenue. But that route is rife with snarls: Federal regulations set limits based on the amount of revenue earned. The Puyallup tribe is currently locked in a battle with the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal regulatory body, over whether the tribe's $2,000- a-month per-capita payments are higher than allowed.

Harley Soltes

Snoqualmie Chief Jerry Enick.

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More About

• Joe Mullen
• Gambling Industries
• Matt Mattson
• Native American Issues
• Gambling

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The Snoqualmie tribe found out about other problems with per-capita payments after meeting with leaders of the Fort McDowell Yavapi Nation in Arizona. A wildly successful pioneer of Indian gaming, the Fort McDowell tribe pays its members somewhere "under $50,000 a year," according to tribe President Raphael Bear. A fair share of that, at least in the early years, went for alcohol and drugs. In response, the tribe instituted its own version of a three-strikes-you're-out policy. The first time a tribe member commits a crime like drunken driving, he or she is fined 25 percent of the per-capita payment. The second time, 50 percent. The third time, 100 percent. The tribe fines parents similarly if their kids are caught skipping school. The high-school graduation rate has risen from 30 percent or 40 percent to 80 percent, according to Bear.

Taking account of such examples, the Snoqualmie tribe is pondering whether it should distribute per-capita payments and how it might handle destructive spending. Ray Mullen envisions some kind of intervention, though he doesn't yet know what form it will take. But with Moyes' decision to leave the tribe high and dry, that's putting the cart before the horse. Bond financing is still an uncertain gambit, and tribe members are concentrating on raising money to simply break ground.

As for whether eager investors are still calling the tribe to get a slice of the could-be action, Mullen raises his eyebrows and smiles coyly. "Every day," he says. "Every day."

nshapiro@seattleweekly.com