MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — For a few years now, there has been a lot of talk about a possible casino in Mountain Home. KTVB first reported the idea of it in February of 2020. Then, in January of 2023, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes held an open house to explain their proposed casino project, but where does that project now stand?
KTVB has been in touch with representatives from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. They plan to release a news release in the near future, but no exact date has been set.
KTVB contacted Idaho Gov. Brad Little's office who recommended reaching out to the Department of Interior.
The U.S. Department of the Interior sent this statement to KTVB: “The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which provides a framework for gaming on Indian land, requires that land used for gaming under the Act be held in trust. Placing Tribal land into trust is the process where the Department of the Interior acquires the title to land and holds it for the benefit of a Tribe pursuant to the Department’s fee-to-trust regulations at 25 C.F.R. Part 151. The BIA has received and is reviewing an application from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to place into trust a parcel of land in Mountain Home. For more information on the process, please visit https://www.bia.gov/bia/ots/fee-to-trust. “
The statement comes as Mountain Home Mayor Rich Sykes told KTVB, that he hasn’t received any updates on the casino project since the tribes hosted an open house in January.
“It currently stands in radio silence,” Sykes said. “We tried to reach out to the Sho Ban and see what you know, are we moving forward, we're not moving forward with the next plan and I think right now currently their plan is just trying to get their ground into tribal sovereign ground, but there's really nothing happening.”
The Shoshone-Bannock tribes bought a 157-acre plot of land outside of Mountain Home in 2020 and proposed a plan to build a casino. It’s a project that would consist of 2,000 gaming machines, 250 hotel rooms, six food and beverage venues and a 15,000-square-foot event center.
“The hard part is, I was pretty agnostic on the whole thing,” Sykes said. “Do I want a casino? Do I not want a casino? One of the big things is willing to change the culture change the dynamics of our small town, will we lose that small town feel? and right now with without any path forward or studies I think right now, it's a no go.”
Mayor Sykes adds, that when it comes to people who live in Mountain Home, the community is split on whether they want a casino in their city because there's a gamble. On one hand, it would create a lot of jobs and bring amenities to the city, but he's also seen data showing there's a slight uptick in crime in some towns where there are casinos.
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to numbers, how much is the tribe willing to pay for city services, city infrastructure, water, wastewater, city services, and fire police,” Sykes said. “Once it gets closer to fruition, if it ever does come to fruition, we'll definitely reach out to the citizens and see what they want because at the end of the day, they have to live with those decisions that the city council makes, and myself and county commissioners and quintessential I guess the governor… It's a sit and wait game.”
The Shoshone-Piaute Tribes have also expressed interest in opening a casino in Mountain Home. When KTVB asked Sykes about the potential of having two casinos in the city, he said that probably won’t happen, “it's likely a one and done.”
He also said he would love to see both tribes work together if there is going to be a casino.
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