Tribes continue to cement its footprint in the US gambling industry with a series of casino expansions across the country.

Our first stop takes us to Washington State, where the Spokane Tribe of Indians announced its plan to break ground this fall a $400 million casino in the suburb of Airway Heights.

The Associated Press reported that the Tribe targets to open the first phase of the casino project, which will have 450 slot machines and 12 game tables, in 2017. Tribal Chairwoman Carol Evans said that the new off-reservation casino will help lift their members out of poverty and benefit the entire region.

The project, which will be developed by phases over 10 years, has won the final approval from Gov. Jay Inslee last month after the U.S. Department of Interior approved it last year.