Oregon casino gets $85-million expansion

The venue wants to become more kid-friendly with expanded accommodations

The Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission, OR has placed more emphasis on “casino” than “resort” over the years, but that is set to change. The venue, just a little to the east of Pendleton, is ready to invest $85 million in order to build a new hotel tower and additional amenities that will attract more families, converting it more into a family-friendly resort than a gambling house.

The property is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which recently broke ground on the upgrades with the Lydig Construction Company out of Kennewick. The spokeswoman for the tribes, Mary Liberty-Traughber, states, “It will be a better place for families to come. There’s something for everyone.”

The resort already has a children’s entertainment center, but this is going to receive a facelift and an expansion that will see it reach 48,000 square feet. This is expected to be completed in the first phase of renovation, along with the construction of a 24-lane bowling center that allows 16 lanes to be separated for parties, league tournaments and groups.

A later phase will see the construction of a new ten-story hotel tower with 300 rooms to match the existing tower. The additional tower is needed because the single tower is “full all the time.” It hasn’t been announced if Lydig will oversee that project, or if a different developer will be brought in.

The expansion is the fourth undertaken at the resort since 1994. Wildhorse currently offers a variety of table games, keno action and 1,200 slot machines. There was no mention if its gambling options would see an expansion.