Planning board OK's additional gaming machines for Bandit

The Columbia Falls city-county planning board Tuesday approved a conditional use permit that would allow the former Bandit Bar to add eight more gaming machines to its casino.

The board OK’d the measure by a unanimous vote. It now goes to the city council, which will have a final say in the matter. Restaurateur Pat Carloss said he wasn’t a big fan of gaming rooms, but the machines would help pay for the liquor license at the new restaurant, which he said he hopes to have open by early May.

According to the staff report on the application, the state of Montana ties casinos and liquor licenses together by only allowing gaming machines if one purchases a liquor license. The result is casinos like Lucky Lil’s buy up many of the liquor licenses which drive the price upwards of $750,000. This, in effect, forces restaurants and taverns to install gaming machines in order to pay the inflated price of the liquor license. The maximum number of gaming machines in any establishment is 20 machines as set by state law.

Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruis bought the Bandit Bar from John VanValkenburg in May and then sold it to Carloss in September. Carloss also owns the successful and highly touted Tupelo Grille in Whitefish.

Carloss told the planning board that the vision for the restaurant in Columbia Falls is a “family friendly pub style with lots of televisions.”

The gaming machines will be in a separate room from the restaurant itself.

The city council will vote on the matter at its Feb. 5 meeting at 7 p.m. An additional public hearing will be held prior to the council vote.