Spirit Mountain Casino

We camped in a pull through spot for 4 nights and had a great time. Easy walk to the casino, but you can contact Security and they'll give you a ride. Meals were excellent, we were happy to find a seafood buffet, first one since the pandemic, and just stuffed ourselves with Dungeness crab. Sports bar is a fun atmosphere, also great food. Blackjack tables had $5 min on several at all times. Entire facility looks new and clean everywhere we looked. We'll be back!

Like the title says the Dry Lot is now closed to overnight camping. This started shortly after the opened their FHS about the first of the year. It appears that even the employees do not know what is going on. I have asked two security personal and and two customer help staff, by phone, and have got four different answers. For the time being it appears that daytime parking is allowed but the sign states "No Overnight Camping."

I have sent a message to the Casino trying to get an official word but still waiting for reply and with four different answers already given I suspect the reply, if I ever get one will be the fifth useless answer.

SWMBO who is the supporter in this venture has stated she might stop by in-route for a meal but that is it. Sorry SMC

This is a great spot in that the lot is free and there is water and a dump station. Someone mentioned the shuttle busses and sharks. I chose to walk to the casino rather than ride in the shuttles and the drivers (the sharks) did not like that at all. Somehow, they think guests are obligated to ride in the shuttles and tip the drivers.
I was there in 2016 and things may have changed but there were very few Game King machines here and only a very few had multi card keno. The keno payouts are some of the lowest on the planet.

We stayed at this casino for only our second time, it is just a parking lot area for rv's of all kinds. They don't have any hookups, but they do have a water area if you need to fill up and a dump station to use.
All you do is register with the Casino and you are good for 3 nights, or more. You can unhook your 5th wheel trailer or tow vehicle and leave the area but not for over night.
It is walking distance to the casino or they have a shuttle bus to and back.
The lot is well lit, and security drives around all the time.
The casino has many things to do, dining, sports bar, gambling, intertainment etc.
We have and will be going there again when we travel in the area.

At Grande Ronde on Highway 18, Spirit Mountain Casino (45 03.582 123 35.013) is another of these large casinos, run, possibly, by the same Indian tribal corporation as Three Rivers and Chinook Winds. Parking lots were nice and flat with RV-sized painted lines, The best thing about this place may be that it has a dump station and fresh water spigot at the back of the parking lot. There is also a big-rig friendly Shell Station on the premises, though prices are not rock-bottom and next door is a propane fill-up station – pretty well everything that a casino-camper could desire. The usual routine of signing in at Security, then obtaining a Players Club Card at another desk applied here, just as at most of the other places I have visited. I was not quoted a limit on my time allowance to stay in the parking lots. There is a free shuttle from any of several covered kiosques in the parking area, each with an intercom for calling the shuttle. I enjoyed the excellent dinner buffet ($15.95) at 5:45 on a Thursday in March. While I went in without waiting, the line-up was quite long when I came out. My server was quick to offer a drink but omitted to give me any cutlery. When she did bring a knife and fork, she forgot a teaspoon - Nor was there any offer of coffee. Other than that, the variety and quality was excellent. Am staying over an extra night because Fridays feature the seafood buffet (more expensive than the regular fare).
One small item of curiosity – the Players Club lady told me that I would have to go back to Security to get a new card as I had filled mine out with black ink. Apparently the casino has a “policy” of using only blue ink. I questioned Security about this and asked if it took a lot of people at a meeting to make such a decision and did he know why since I was writing a book about strange happenings along the Oregon coast and this would certainly qualify. He allowed as how he did not know the reason and couldn’t think of any management types who might know the origin and reasoning behind the black-ink-ban. He did mention however that, at his former place of employment (a private prison), they (employees) were restricted to using only black ink and no blue, the opposite of Spirit Mountain. This was also chalked up to “policy” so note to those out there involved with Customer Service training – never quote “policy” and try to have a reason for anything you do – that is much more satisfying for guests and probably for staff who might be inclined to think that some senile god is sitting out there on a cloud flipping coins to see whether the organization should favour black or blue ink.
I wrote this update on a Friday morning and as I sat at my computer, the shuttle buses, like sharks, were being very attentive and circled the RV parking lots every 5 minutes or so. Maybe there was some important revenue-producing event that I should have been attending but I chose, instead, to save my energy for the seafood later on.