Monday and Tuesday workers were in the process of replacing the coin slot machines in the Coulee Dam Casino with voucher dispensing machines.

The casino will not close while crews install the new slots, and customers will be allowed to try out the voucher machines free for the first couple of days, starting today.

Along with the new slot machines, the Coulee Dam Casino, the Okanogan-Bingo Casino and Mill Bay Casino will also receive new chairs with back support and new carpeting.

The Okanogan site's transformation took place last month. Mill Bay will be converted to the new machines by March.

The transition will bring in more than 15 types of new slot machines.

"We are excited about the new games coming in," said Gina Aldrich, director of operations for the Coulee Dam Casino. "Now our customers can play the popular games and enjoy the local gaming experience more often."

The Colville Tribes are required to replace the old slot machines under the terms of a compact negotiated with the state.

The voucher slot machines are legal under the compact, because people will play against each other to win a progressive jackpot that is kept track of by a central server, an in-house computer.

Because the new machines don't pit one player against a single machine, the state considers the game similar to a lottery, which is allowed under state law.

A bank of machines against one wall whirred in continual play mode during a required 24-hour test Monday designed to certify to the state that the machines, the network and the servers are accounting properly.

The voucher dispensing slot machines are now used by most of the other casinos around the state.

The old slot machines were technically seized by the U.S. Marshals Service because the state had deemed them illegal since the Coulee Dam Casino opened in 1994.

So the tribes negotiated with a federal mediator under new rules from the Secretary of the Interior Dept. for the new compact.

The business impact of the new machines is unknown. The old coin machines were seen as a necessary market advantage in a state full of other Indian casinos, most operating state-approved voucher machines. But even Las Vegas casinos are noting the advantages of higher tech machines that can deliver more visual impact to younger players and nearly eliminate downtime.

CTEC management said in the newsletter that they believe the new slot machines, along with other improvements, "will help enhance the look, increase profits and provide customers with a more comfortable atmosphere and enjoyable gaming experience."

All three casinos will be operating the 675 new slot machines no later than March, 2004, said Richard Swan, the chair of the Tribes Law and Justice Committee.