Indian Gaming > Habematolel Pomo compact headed for passage

December 16, 2009

Habematolel Pomo compact headed for passage

A Class III gaming compact for the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake is nearing final passage in the California Legislature.

The deal passed the Assembly last Thursday by a 68-0 vote. The Senate Governmental Organization Committee is holding an information hearing on the compact today.

The compact authorizes a casino with up to 750 slot machines. But Chairwoman Sherry Treppa Bridges said the tribe only plans to operate 349 slot machines, plus a few table games.

Future plans call for a hotel but for now the casino will operate in a temporary facility. "A lot of it has been about getting it up and open in order to service the debt," Bridges told Capitol Weekly of a $25 million debt to gaming investors.

Get the Story:
New tribal compact moving toward Senate floor (Capitol Weekly 12/16)