February 9, 2010
Two tribes have filed separate lawsuits against the state of California over limits placed on the number of slot machines at their casinos.
The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians already won a decision in federal court that said the state wrongly imposed a cap on slot machines. The tribe is now in state court to reclaim $115 million in revenues that it said it lost at the Valley View Casino.
The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians is suing the state in federal court over the slot machine limit. The Black Oak Casino has 1,013 machines but the tribe said it should be able to offer up to 2,000.
Get the Story:
Valley View Casino Indian tribe suing state
(San Diego News Network 2/9)
Press Release: Tribe Sues State of California for Lost Revenue (San Pasqual Band 2/9)
Casino sues state over machine limits (The Sonoma Union Democrat 2/9)
Four appeals have been filed over the recent off-reservation casino referendum held by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York.
Tribal members backed a casino in the Catskills by a 538-371 vote. A prior referendum had gone against the casino.
The tribes still awaits word from the Obama administration about an off-reservation gaming policy.
Get the Story:
Four appeals filed on vote for off-reservation casino
(The Watertown Daily Times 2/9)
The Navajo Nation is moving forward with plans for a second casino.
The new casino would be located in Upper Fruitland, near Farmington, New Mexico. The facility is expected to cost between $70 million and $80 million and would likely include a hotel.
The tribe opened the Fire Rock Navajo Casino near Gallup, New Mexico, in November 2008. Revenues have exceeded projections.
Get the Story:
Upper Fruitland eyed for casino
(The Farmington Daily Times 2/9)
February 8, 2010
The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe and the Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe are reportedly looking for places to build a casino but another Massachusetts tribe wants them to stay away.
The two tribes are said to be considering locations in Fall River or Freetown.
That has the state-recognized Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe upset.
But Pocassets hold the deed to original Watuppa Reservation. They say the other tribes have no ties to the area.
"That reservation in Fall River we got for spilling blood in wars," said Daryl "Black Eagle" Jamieson, vice chairman of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe, told The Cape Cod Times. "It has nothing to do with Mashpees. They never fought in the King Philip War."
The Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs has landed in the middle of the dispute. The commission is reportedly trying to assert authority over part of the Watuppa Reservation and will hold a meeting on February 23 to discuss the idea.
Get the Story:
Pocasset Wampanoag bridle at perceived land grab
(The Cape Cod Times 2/8)
"Michigan voters were conned in 2004 by a casino industry determined to keep a monopoly. And the state's racetracks and the communities which surround them were its victims.
A push for a constitutional amendment to redress the wrong is gathering signatures. We hope it at least makes it to a statewide ballot.
State voters in 2004 approved Proposal 1, an amendment to the state constitution which effectively limited casino gambling to the businesses already in existence. It wasn't an outright ban. But its provisions made it next to impossible for new gambling venues to start up, including gambling at racetracks, which were seeing their own attendance and revenues dwindling from the competition.
Proposal 1 required approval by voters in the community where the gambling venture would be located, which was not a bad idea. It also required approval of each new casino by all Michigan voters whether they resided 500 miles away or in the next town. Tribal casinos were exempt from provisions of the amendment.
The campaign for Proposal 1 was bankrolled by those who had pushed to put it on the ballot, those who stood to lose if it lost: owners of existing casinos and the state's Native American tribes. It was also supported by anti-gambling groups."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Slot machines should be allowed at racetracks
(The Mount Clemens Daily Tribune 2/7)
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will host a grand opening for the $300 million Choctaw Casino and Resort tomorrow.
The facility is located in Durant. Construction took 22 months.
"This is something like you'll never see in Southeastern Oklahoma. This is nice as Vegas, Shreveport, Bossier. Everywhere you want to go there's no casino nicer," dealer manager Jeramey Standridge told KXII-TV.
The casino features more than 3,000 electronic gaming machines and about 40 card game tables.
Get the Story:
Sneak peek inside new Choctaw Casino/Resort
(KXII-TV 2/7)
Two gaming directors for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians of Michigan are still out of a job after the tribal council voted against reconsidering their removal.
Dollie Keway and Fred Kiogima were removed on January 24 by a single vote. Council member Mel Kiogima objected because he was not allowed to vote on the motion. Fred is his brother.
Mel said he should have been allowed to vote on Keway's removal. But other members of the council didn't agree and refused to reconsider their action
No reason has been given publicly for the removal of Keway and Kiogima but Keway said Chairman Ken Harrington has been interfering with hiring process for a general manager at the Odawa Casino Resort. He also has taken control of the gaming board of directors budget.
Get the Story:
Tribal Council votes against rescinding previous motion to remove two gaming board members
(The Petoskey News-Review 2/8)
The Crow Tribe of Montana owes $400,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid employment taxes at the Little Big Horn Casino.
The tribe is negotiating payment to the IRS. “The Crow Tribe takes this responsibility seriously and is eager to make good on this debt," deputy legal counsel Kathleen Burrage told The Billings Gazette.
Last year, the IRS auctioned 7,100 acres of land owned by the Crow Creek Sioux
Tribe of South Dakota. The IRS said the tribe owed $3.1 million in employment taxes, penalties and interest.
As for the Crows, the tribe was given a November 1, 2009, deadline by the National Indian Gaming Commission to upgrade the Little Big Horn Casino. According to the Gazette, the building fails to meet new federal standards.
The tribe plans to use a $1 million grant and a $2.5 million loan from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota to upgrade the facility. The Crow Legislature has to take action to approve the arrangement, Chairman Cedric Black Eagle said.
Get the Story:
Crow leaders look to replace casino
(The Billings Gazette 2/7)
February 5, 2010
Leaders in the city of Surprise, Arizona, are open to hosting an off-reservation casino for a tribe.
The city doesn't have a tribe in mind but wants to reach out. One possibility could be the Tohono O'odham Nation, whose plans for an off-reservation in Glendale have come under heavy fire.
Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said other municipalities have expressed interest in a casino. The tribe for now is going through with the Glendale site, which was purchased pursuant to a land claim settlement act.
Get the Story:
Surprise's leaders open to casino
(The Arizona Republic 2/5)
The Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians is celebrating two special birthdays this year.
The tribe is marking the 25th anniversary of Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel. The facility began as a bingo hall in 1985.
Margaret
Dalton, the late former chairwoman of the tribe, opened the casino and paved the way for the tribe's recent successes. In her honor, the tribe is declaring her birthday, February 9, as Founder's Day.
Dalton, who died in May 2009 at the age of 69, will be remembered throughout the next year, a spokesperson said.
Get the Story:
After 25 years of gaming, Miwoks create Founder's Day in memory of Dalton
(The Amador Ledger-Dispatch 2/4)
Approval of an off-reservation casino for the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma is "imminent," a tribal official said.
The tribe wants to 10.5 acres near Park City, Kansas, for a casino. But the Bureau of Indian Affairs hasn't made a decision on the application, which was first filed in 1996.
Still, Doug Spangler, the tribe's director of governmental affairs, remained optimistic. "I think it's imminent. All the requirements have been fulfilled," he told The Wichita Eagle.
The tribe's bid apparently has the developers of a state-licensed casino worried. The Chisholm Creek Casino Resort could be dropped if the backers aren't satisfied, the executive director of the Kansas Lottery said.
The tribe already operates a Class II facility in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.
Get the Story:
Tribal plan may halt Sumner Co. casino
(The Wichita Eagle 2/5)
A former gaming executive for the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians of California has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $4 million from the tribe.
James William Riley, 46, was the chief financial officer of the Pechanga Resort & Casino. When he left the casino to work for the tribal government in a similar position, another executive encountered questionable financial transactions.
Riley allegedly allowed insurance broker Ryan Jay Robinson, 39, to charge the tribe higher premiums. Riley allegedly pocketed a $100,000 kickback from Robinson.
"We uncovered evidence of fraud and theft against the Pechanga Tribe and immediately launched a detailed internal investigation," Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro said in a written statement. "Our investigation found millions of dollars were stolen. It is our understanding that no patrons, employees or business partners were affected by the inappropriate activities of these individuals."
Get the Story:
Two accused of defrauding Pechanga tribe of $4 million (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 2/5)
Ex-casino CFO, insurance broker, indicted
(The North County Times 2/4)
Indictments unsealed against insurance broker and Pechanga ex-financial exec who is accused of taking bribes (The Fallbrook Valley News 2/4)
Man accused of overcharging Pechanga tribe $4 million in insurance premiums
(Southwest Riverside News Network 2/4)
February 4, 2010
The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of
Potawatomi Indians, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe, held a topping out ceremony for the $157 million Gun Lake Casino last week.
The tribe began work on the 83,000-square-foot facility last fall. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of the summer.
The casino is located off a major interstate in Wayland Township, Michigan.
Get the Story:
Workers install last steel beam for casino
(The Allegan News 2/3)
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut did not break a contract by failing to promote an employee at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, a tribal judge said.
Kelly Reising participated in the Succession Training Program at the casino. She cited a tribal council resolution that said she would be promoted to executive vice president of marketing after a year's apprenticeship.
When that didn't happen, Reising sued the tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise. But Judge Gregory Bigler said the tribal council resolution did not constitute an actual contract and did not contain a waiver of sovereign immunity.
Reising's salary as vice president could have been $326,185. Instead, she had been given a telemarketing job with a salary of $62,000.
Get the Story:
Mashantucket tribal member loses appeal in promotion suit
(The New London Day 2/4)
The Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe is said to have identified a new site for a casino in Massachusetts but a state-recognized tribe is raising objections.
According to leaders of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe, the Mashpees are looking at 100 acres in Fall River. The site apparently lies within the state-recognized Watuppa Reservation.
The Mashpees don't have ancestral ties to the land, according to the Pocassets.
“If there is going to be gaming in our territory, it will be the Pocasset Tribe working with the local and state agency for the benefit of the people who live in our territory, not just for ourselves,”
Pocasset Chairman George Spring Buffalo told The Fall River Herald News.
Pocasset leaders say the Mashpees never brought up gaming during recent meetings. They say the only found out about it after news reports indicated the Mashpees were looking at sites in Fall River.
The Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs has apparently looked into the land-into-trust process but executive director Jim Peters declined to discuss the issue in detail.
Get the Story:
Pocasset Wampanoags say casino is behind land deal
(The Fall River Herald News 2/4) Mum's the word on tribe's plans for casino (The Middleboro Gazette 2/4)
Legislation to authorize commercial gaming in Massachusetts appears to be gaining steam in light of high unemployment and the recession, The Boston Globe reports.
Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has been pushing the idea for years. Lawmakers rejected his proposal in 2008 but the political and economic landscape has changed.
Patrick included a tribal preference in his earlier legislation. It's not clear whether it will be a part of legislation that is expected to be introduced this month.
The Aquinnah Wampanoag
Tribe is planning to apply for a commercial license should the bill become law. The tribe is already scouting sites in eastern Massachusetts.
Over in western Massachusetts, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut has already laid claim to a gaming site. Meanwhile, the Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe continues to pursue a casino under federal law.
Get the Story:
Gambling proposal may be gaining
(The Boston Globe 2/4)
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation of California is utilizing social networking sites to connect with gamblers.
The Cache Creek Casino Resort has accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The facility is also testing out a mobile phone system aimed at helping customers enjoy their entertainment experience.
The casino has an information technology staff of 25, Network World reported.
"Being in an organization that runs 24 hours, seven days a week has its challenges," Luck says. "You're always on call and always trying to keep up with the latest technologies," Rod Luck, the vice president of IT, was quoted as saying. "Casino business is so competitive that you have to come up with a better product and you have to have more information to generate customer service, so the customers come back."
Get the Story:
Casino banks on social networking, mobile technology and virtualization
(Network World 2/3)
The Poarch Band of
Creek Indians of Alabama says the first year of business at the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel has been good.
"We have seen growth in our operations despite the downturn in the economy. I attribute our success to the team at Wind Creek," property manager Arthur Mothershed told The Brewton Standard. "Without their hard work and commitment to guest service it would not have been possible."
The $245 million resort features a 57,000 square foot gaming floor with more than 1,600 electronic gaming machines, a 17-floor, 236-room hotel; four restaurants, a lounge and an outdoor amphitheater. The tribe expanded the facility with a cooking studio and a spa.
“It’s been extremely exciting,” Mothershed told the paper. “It’s hard to believe that Wind Creek has been open a year already. I am very proud of the team at Wind Creek. Everyone has contributed to a very successful operation."
Get the Story:
Wind Creek celebrates one year
(The Brewton Standard 2/3)
Also Today:
WindCreek says "no comment on raids" (FOX10-TV 2/3)
February 3, 2010
An anti-gambling task force set up by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) is vowing to go after casinos owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Riley's task force has been shutting down non-Indian facilities that operate electronic gaming machines. The next target is Poarch Creek Indian Gaming, the tribe's enterprise.
"They're in play," Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr., who leads the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling, told The Mobile Press-Register.
The state lacks jurisdiction on Indian lands but Tyson and other officials believe they can force the closure of the tribe's facilities if all other gaming facilities -- including bingo halls -- are closed.
Tyson apparently received campaign contributions from the tribe during his failed run for state attorney general. He also received donations from non-Indian gaming interests.
Get the Story:
2 casinos in state temporarily close doors; Tyson vows to continue assault on gambling
(The Mobile Press-Register 2/3)
An Opinion:
OUR VIEW: Now the gambling interests worry about the corrupting influence money given to candidates can have on the political process? (The Birmingham News 2/3)
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
Nation of Connecticut entered into a promotional and marketing agreement with the House of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Foxwoods Resort Casino will be promoted at the venue, which will be known as "House of Blues Boston Presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino."
"One of our objectives has been to reach different kinds of customers," Robert Victoria, Foxwoods' senior vice president of consumer marketing, told The New London Day. "All kinds of people go to the House of Blues. It's a great way to communicate with the Boston market."
Boston is about 90 minutes from the casino.
Get the Story:
Foxwoods puts its name on Boston's House of Blues
(The New London Day 2/3)
The two federally recognized tribes in Massachusetts are looking a new sites for potential casinos.
The Mashpee Wampanoag
Tribe already signed a casino agreement with the town of Middleboro and submitted a land-into-trust application for a gaming site. But tribal leaders recently contacted officials in Fall River about locations there.
The Aquinnah Wampanoag
Tribe is also interested in Fall River, along with Freetown. But unlike the Mashpees, the tribe says it wants to pursue a commercial casino, should gaming be legalized in Massachusetts.
Get the Story:
Wampanoag tribe eyes Freetown as home of new resort-style casino
(GateHouse News Service 2/3)
The Seneca Nation of New York said gaming profits rose 23 percent even though revenues fell..
Seneca Gaming Corporation reported $14.1 million in income for the quarter that ended December 31, 2009. That's up from $11.5 million during same period a year earlier.
At the same time, net revenues fell 3 percent to $135.2 million.
Get the Story:
Seneca Gaming profits rise 23% (The Buffalo News 2/3)
SENECA GAMING: Profits are up $23.7M
(The Niagara Gazette 2/3)
A bill in the Arizona Legislature aims to stop the Tohono O'odham Nation from moving forward with an off-reservation casino.
The tribe plans to build the $550 million West
Valley Resort on a 100-acre site that was acquired in connection with a land claim settlement. Congress approved the settlement through the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands
Replacement Act.
Opponents say the law requires the land to be in an "unincorporated" area of Arizona.
So State Rep. Jerry Weiers (R) introduced bill that allows the city of Glendale to annex the tribe's gaming site, a move that would apparently prevent the land from being considered "unincorporated."
Generally, tribes cannot open casinos on land that was acquired after 1988. The Tohono O'odham Nation acquired the site in question in 2003.
But the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act contains an exception for land acquired through a land claim settlement. Since 1988, only two tribes -- the Seneca Nation and the Wyandotte Nation -- have been able open casinos by exploiting the land claim exception.
Get the Story:
Lawmakers out to block casino plans in Glendale (Capitol Media Services 2/3)
Ariz. House panel targets proposed Glendale casino
(AP 2/2)
Earlier Stories: Tohono O'odham Nation 'more committed'
to casino (1/28) Sen. Kyl voices
opposition to Tohono O'odham casino (1/27) McCain joins opposition to off-reservation
casino bid (1/21) Tohono O'odham
Nation won't drop off-reservation bid (1/20)
February 2, 2010
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan is seeing strong business at the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino, which marked its second anniversary in January.
According to The Bay City Times, the casino took in $67.1 million in 2009, up from $55.8 million in 2008. The calculations are based on the amount of money the tribe shares with the local communit.
"We've had a couple of very successful years here," Frank J. Cloutier, the tribe's public relations director, told the paper. "The Saganing Eagles Landing Casino is probably responsible for close to a third" of the tribe's gaming revenue, Cloutier said.
The tribe plans to expand the facility but no time frame has been set.
Get the Story:
Standish Saganing Eagles Landing Casino continues success in 2009, plans expansion (The Bay City Times 1/31)
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York won't start negotiating a deal for an off-reservation casino until the Obama administration clarifies its gaming policy, The Middletown Times Herald-Record reports.
The Bush administration rejected the tribe's proposed casino in the Catskills, saying it was too far from the reservation. Tribal leaders hope Obama takes a different stance but it's been over a year since the president took office and no policy has been issued.
"We are waiting for that," tribal spokesperson Dave Staddon told the paper. "Certainly the Obama administration have clearly indicated that they are willing to reconsider it, but I don't know at what time that will be ... . I would hope they could render a decision by the end of the year."
Tribal members voted 538-371 in favor of pursuing a casino in the Catskills. The tribe will be working with Empire Resorts on the project.
Get the Story:
Mohawks' vote to try for Sullivan County casino may mean little
(The Middletown Times Herald-Record 2/2)
A man waving a gun stole thousands of dollars from a casino owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida on Friday.
The incident at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek was caught on video. The tribe hopes someone will be able identify the thief.
"We're reviewing surveillance videos from multiple cameras, hoping there's a clear image of him in one of them," spokesperson Gary Bitner told The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Get the Story:
Robber strikes casino's poker room
(The South Florida Sun Sentinel 2/1)
Tribal gaming revenues fell 13 percent in the last quarter of 2009, the Arizona Department of Gaming reported.
Tribes shared $11.1 million with the state, down from $12.8 million a year prior. And even that was lower than the $15.2 million two years ago.
"Obviously these are not good times," Pam Hait, a spokesperson for the Arizona Indian Gaming Association, told The Arizona Republic. "Everyone is trying to be as smart as they can with their marketing and operations to get through this."
Tribal casino revenues have been falling since the first quarter of 2008.
Get the Story:
Ariz. casino revenue fell sharply in 4th quarter (The ARizona Republic 2/2)
State's gaming revenue down
(Capitol Media Services 2/1) )
Gaming allocation to state declines to $11.1 million (The Phoenix Business Journal 2/1)
The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is looking at locations for a potential casino, The New Bedford Standard-Times reports.
The tribe wants to talk to officials in Fall River and in Freetown about possible sites. The tribe apparently wants to pursue a commercial license, should casinos become legal in the state.
The reservation is located on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Tribal leaders have repeatedly said they don't want to build a casino there.
Get the Story:
Aquinnah eye casino sites in Freetown, Fall River
(The New Bedford Standard-Times 2/2)
February 1, 2010
"MGM dealers take great pride in their work ethic, customer service and personal standards. With last week’s union press release, they are mad, disappointed, disillusioned and, quite possibly, soon to be broke.
MGM dealers were hired with the understanding — if not actual representations — that they were not, and would not be, union. Many were top-of-the-line Foxwoods employees who did not want to be part of a union and knew with a team of dedicated professionals they could accomplish great things.
The union, for its part, put little, if any, effort into soliciting, inviting or contacting MGM employees with regard to its efforts and, in fact, treated MGM employees as if they were a separate unit.
Then, management — in what has been suggested to be a rush to settle things to focus on issues more important, such as financial woes — decided the most cost-effective — for them — tangible items they could give the union to appease it in negotiations were MGM dealers and their accompanying tips."
Get the Story:
Cindy Evans: Dealers can secure their futures without costly union
(The Norwich Bulletin 2/1)
Card dealers at the casino owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
of Connecticut overwhelmingly approved a contract with the United Auto Workers.
Dealers at Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods voted 1,035-355 in favor of the deal. Both sides hailed the results of the election.
"This agreement gives management the operational flexibility and cost controls necessary to remain competitive in the current economic climate," Michael Speller, the president of the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise, said in a statement, according to news reports.
The contract was negotiated under tribal law.
Get the Story:
Foxwoods, MGM Grand dealers ratify union contract
(The Norwich Bulletin 1/30)
Card Dealers, Foxwoods Approve First Labor Contract (The Hartford Courant 1/30)
Union pact OK'd by landslide at Foxwoods (The New London Day 1/30)
"Gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton told reporters on Monday that if he is elected, he will push for a new casino in the Twin Cities that will share revenue with the state. "I don't see how this has any effect on any tribe, other than Mystic Lake," he said.
What Dayton is proposing is nothing new. From the moment that Minnesota's first tribal casinos began lifting tribes out of poverty, others have been trying to open up the state to privately owned casinos. But Dayton's reasoning -- that a new casino won't harm tribal casinos outside the metro area -- needs correcting.
Imagine if a lake the size of Mille Lacs, and with as many fish as Mille Lacs, were plopped into the metro area. Do you think that people in the Twin Cities would still flock to the real Mille Lacs Lake for fishing?
I think most of us would agree that people who used to drive north one or two hours to Mille Lacs would instead drive 15 minutes to the local lake to do their fishing. Mille Lacs would still be a great lake, but it would be in a less convenient location for most of the population. And that one strike against it would be impossible for many of the businesses around the lake to overcome.
This same reasoning applies to casinos."
Get the Story:
Marge Anderson: A metro-area casino would hurt the others
(The Minneapolis Star Tribune 1/30)
Two Washington tribes have seen business at their casinos increase despite the national economic recession.
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe has seen a 6 percent rise in revenues at the 7 Cedars Casino. The tribe has even hired more employees and will be adding 100 more slot machines at the facility.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is also seeing success at its new Elwha River Casino, which opened last March. The tribe had to bring in trailers to accommodate the increase in visitors.
"We really have to give gratitude to our customers, who've been returning," Chairwoman Frances Charles told The Peninsula Daily News.
Get the Story:
Ka-ching: Peninsula's casinos flourish while others elsewhere lag
(The Peninsula Daily News 1/31)
Earlier Story:
Washington tribes see good and bad amid
recession (1/25)
Members of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York voted 538-371 in favor of an off-reservation casino in the Catskills.
The tribe held a referendum on Saturday to ask members about the project. A prior vote had gone against the casino but those results were nullified due to lack of public notice.
The tribe said it remains hopeful the Obama administration will rescind a policy at the Interior Department that makes it nearly impossible for tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations.
The Catskills site is about 300 miles from the Mohawk reservation.
Get the Story:
St. Regis Mohawks OK Catskills casino push (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 2/1)
Green light for casino plan (The Cornwall Standard-Freeholder 2/1)
Tribe approvals Catskills gaming project (The Mid-Hudson News Network 1/31)
Voters approve pursuit of Catskills casino
(The Plattsburg Press-Republican 1/31)
St. Regis residents head back to polls on referendum (The Cornwall Standard-Freeholder 1/30)
"Expansion plans by an Indian casino near Sacramento, Calif., signal another bad omen for Northern Nevada's beleaguered gaming market.
Casino revenues in Reno and the Lake Tahoe area have been decimated for almost three years. The recession has zapped tourism, while bad weather routinely impedes travel by casino patrons from the important San Francisco Bay Area feeder market.
But Northern California's large Indian casino community is the primary reason Washoe County hasn't seen positive gaming revenues in 29 months and South Lake Tahoe's casinos are reporting figures mirroring the 1980s.
Bay Area residents have a choice. The Red Hawk in Placerville opened a year ago with 2,100 slot machines and 75 table games. The 7-year-old Thunder Valley near Sacramento is answering with an $800 million expansion opening in July.
Now, Cache Creek is adding to the pain.
The Sacramento Valley casino announced plans last week for a 52,000 square-foot events center, a 900-space parking garage and 20,000 additional square feet of casino space. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation hopes to have the expansion in place by 2013."
Get the Story:
Howard Stutz: INSIDE GAMING: Northern Nevada's woes likely to expand
(The Las Vegas Review-Journal 1/31)
Earlier Story: Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation sets expansion
for casino (1/25)
|
