November 6, 2009
The casino owned by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians isn't performing as well as expected, Lakes Entertainment Inc said on Thursday.
The Red Hawk Casino opened in December 2008. Lakes, which manages the facility, said customers aren't spending as much as anticipated.
"Results from the slot machines continue to run below our expectations," Lakes Chief Executive Lyle Berman said on a conference call, The Sacramento Bee reported.
The tribe has cut about 250 jobs from the casino and is looking for a new general manager.
Get the Story:
Red Hawk Casino manager cites results 'below expectations'
(The Sacramento Bee 11/6) Username: indianz, Password: indianzcom
Red Hawk Casino parent shows profit (The Sacramento Business Journal 11/5)
The Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians has dropped plans to add more slot machines to its casino in northern California.
The tribe was awarded 1,650 licenses -- the most of any tribe -- on October 5 by the California Gambling Control Commission. But the tribe withdrew its application a week later, The Fresno Bee reported.
The tribe operates the Mono Wind Casino with 350 slot machines. The 1,650 machines would have put the tribe at the 2,000 limit authorized by the 1999 tribal-state gaming compact.
The tribe's plans for a larger casino are being reviewed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Get the Story:
Mono Wind Casino operator drops bid for more slots
(The Fresno Bee 11/6) Username: indianz, Password: indianzcom
The D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals has canceled oral arguments in an off-reservation casino case.
The court was due to hear St. Croix Chippewa v. Salazar on November 13. But the case will instead be decided on the briefs.
The St. Croix Chippewa Tribe
and the Bad River Band
of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians want to build a casino in Beloit. The project
enjoys strong local support.
The Bureau of Indian
Affairs, in the final days of the Bush administration, rejected the casino,
saying it was too far from the tribes' reservations. Beloit is more than 300
miles away.
At issue is a January 2008 guidance memorandum that make it nearly
impossible for tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations. The Obama
administration is reviewing the policy but continues to fight the lawsuit.
Get the Story:
Casino arguments canceled
(The Beloit Daily News 11/5)
BIA Letter: George Skibine to Bad River
Band/St. Croix Chippewa (January 13, 2009)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance on taking off-reservation land into
trust for gaming purposes (January 3, 2008)
A Republican candidate for governor of Alabama says Gov. Bob Riley (R) accepted "millions of dollars" from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Bill Johnson served in Riley's Cabinet and was part of Riley's campaign staff in 2002 and 2006. "We received money from the Mississippi Indians — millions of dollars," Johnson said at a press conference yesterday, The Dothan Eagle reported.
Johnson said the donation was funneled through national Republican political committees. The link has been confirmed by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation of Jack Abramoff
Riley has repeatedly denied knowing the source of the funds and says the money has not influenced his crackdown on electronic gaming in Alabama. He also has refused to negotiate a Class III gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
When Riley served in Congress, his press secretary was MIchael Scanlon, who pleaded guilty to defrauding tribes out of millions of dollars.
Get the Story:
Gov. candidate Bill Johnson believes Riley influenced by Miss. casino owners
(The Dothan Eagle 11/6)
State leaders disgree on bingo (The Crimson White 11/6)
Support Turns into Verbal Bash (WTVY-TV 11/5)
Ex-Ala. gov aide: Indian casinos gave to governor (AP 11/5)
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that was filed by a former gaming employee of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas.
Robert Nanomantube is a not a member of the tribe but he is a Kickapoo
descendant and he lives in the state. He says the tribe violated its Indian
preference policy by hiring a non-Indian as the general manager of the Golden Eagle Casino.
Judge Richard Rogers said he lacked jurisdiction to hear the case due to the tribe's sovereign immunity. Nanomantube has a similar lawsuit pending in tribal court.
Get the Story:
Judge rules tribe has immunity
(AP 11/5)
The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma says the Bureau of Indian Affairs is about to approve a new casino in Kay County, Oklahoma.
The tribe plans to add a gaming facility to its Kanza Travel Plaza near Braman, just south of the Kansas state line. Kay County supports the project.
"We are very hopeful," Nancy Walton, the marketing director of the Kaw Enterprise Development Authority, told The Winfield Courier. "This is as close as we've gotten, and it's been 20 years in the works."
Walton said the project needs approval from the state of Oklahoma. Apparently, the tribe is following the two-part determination process of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act but that's not clear from the news report.
The tribe operates the SouthWind Casino near Newkirk.
Get the Story:
Casino near Braman gets approval from Kay Co.
(The Winfield Courier 11/5)
November 5, 2009
Elaine Bethel Fink, the chair of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California, is hoping the Obama administration will make a decision on its off-reservation casino.
The tribe wants to build a casino in Madera, about 35 miles away from the reservation. The tribe is seeking a two-part determination under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has issued a draft environmental impact statement for the project. But there appears to have been little movement from the federal government in over a year.
"There has been a delay, but in a new administration, there are new players," Fink told McClatchy Newspapers. "They have to come up to speed on the issues."
Fink is in Washington, D.C., this week for the White House Tribal Nations Conference with President Barack Obama.
Get the Story:
California tribe seeks decisions on off-reservation casino
(McClatchy Newspapers 11/4)
A Republican candidate for governor of Alabama will criticize Gov. Bob Riley (R) for cracking down on electronic bingo.
Bill Johnson says Riley might be influenced by gaming interests in Mississippi, including the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The Jack Abramoff investigation found that the Choctaws poured millions of dollars into Riley's campaign in hopes of stopping gaming in Alabama.
Riley has denied knowing that the Choctaws were behind the effort. His former Congressional press secretary was MIchael Scanlon, who pleaded guilty to defrauding tribes out of millions of dollars.
Get the Story:
Gubernatorial candidate to call out Riley on bingo issue
(The Dothan Eagle 11/5)
November 4, 2009
After spending $1 million fighting the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians, supervisors in Contra Costa County,
California, are now planning to back the tribe's casino.
The tribe wants to share $12 million a year with the county and $20 million a year with the city of Richmond. The deal calls for the casino to set aside 70 percent of non-management jobs for county residents and 40 percent for city residents.
"People in West County share one objective, economic development and quality of life," said Supervisor John Gioia, who previously led the fight against the project, The Contra Costa Times reported. "I respect casinos as a way of meeting economic goals."
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has
been working on an environmental impact
statement / environmental impact report for the Point Molate casino. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) opposes the project.
Get the Story:
Pros, cons of Richmond casino proposal debated
(The Contra Costa Times 11/4)
Contra Costa withdraws opposition to casino (KGO-TV 11/3)
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) believes his crackdown on electronic bingo will lead the National Indian Gaming Commission to take action against the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
"When we have proven our determination to combat illegal gambling in our state, the federal government will have to address this issue at Indian casinos," Riley wrote in a letter to state lawmakers, The Mobile Press-Register reported.
But Attorney General Troy King sees things differently. Unlike Riley, he believes that some forms of electronic bingo are legal, and he doesn't think going after non-Indian gaming will affect the NIGC at all.
"How do we put pressure on the federal government?" King told the Press-Register. "We've never been able to put pressure on them before."
The tribe exclusively operates Class II games at its facilities. Former NIGC chairman Phil Hogen, who left office last month, believed some of the tribe's machines crossed the line into Class III but the agency never came to a conclusion on the issue.
Get the Story:
Riley blasts claim of impending Indian casino bingo monopoly
(The Mobile Press-Register 11/4)
Gov. Bob Riley: 'Baldfaced lie' to suggest bingo crackdown will help Indian casinos (The Mobile Press-Register 11/4)
The Cherokee Nation Council voted down a measure that would have restricted subcontract work at a new casino to Indian-owned firms.
Some council members said Indian business should get the first shot at $5 million in work at the new casino.
“Why send that money off to contractors in Phoenix, Dallas, Kansas City or Oklahoma City — where the money won’t reach the Cherokee people?” said Bill John Baker, The Muskogee Phoenix reported. “These are tough economic times.”
The legislation was voted down 9 to 8.
Get the Story:
Cherokee-only hiring move fails
(The Muskogee Phoenix 11/4)
CN contracting debate heats up (The Tahlequah Daily Press 11/3)
Arizona tribes saw a 14 percent drop in gaming revenues in the last quarter, the second-worst quarter since 1993 and seventh quarterly decline in a row.
"We are still not out of this," Sheila Morago, the executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association told The Arizona Republic. "Disposable income is still very scarce."
Tribes share a portion of their revenues with the state. The Arizona Department of Gaming said it received $21.4 million last quarter, down from $25 million a year earlier.
"People were hoping we had hit bottom at 9.4 percent," spokesperson Rick Medina told the paper "The third quarter was worse than we expected."
Get the Story:
Casino revenue falls 14% as consumers cut back
(The Arizona Republic 11/4)
Recent Arizona Department of Gaming Reports:
FY2009 Annual Report of Tribal Contributions |
Quarterly Tribal Contributions
November 3, 2009
"We are appalled by Contra Costa County officials' move to ram through today with little public review a horrible sell out deal that would ease the path to Nevada-style gambling on the shores of San Francisco Bay.
The tiny Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians proposes to build a massive resort and casino at Point Molate on the Richmond shoreline. The casino would be bigger than two football fields with more slot machines than the largest gaming facility in Nevada. It would reshape the character of West Contra Costa and have negative effects, such as gambling addiction and increased poverty, that would be felt throughout the Bay Area.
The plan requires federal government approval to essentially turn the property into an Indian reservation. And, if it clears that hurdle, the governor would be required to negotiate a deal with the tribe to share revenues. At each stage, state or federal officials are to consider local government concerns.
Up until recently, county supervisors had tried to protect the region by fighting against the proposal, most notably challenging the tribe's questionable claim to a historic connection to the area — a necessary federal requirement for the Indians to take over the land."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Contra Costa County's sell-out deal for gambling along San Francisco Bay
(MediaNews Group 1/3)
Earlier Story: County set to back Guidiville Band
casino project (11/2)
Top Republican lawmakers said the proposed Class III gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe won't be approved by the Florida Legislature.
Republicans say the deal cuts out non-Indian racetracks. Some of them want voters to open up the entire state to gaming.
"We can compete head on with the tribe," Rep. Alan Hays (R) said at a hearing on Monday, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. "We need to say absolutely no to this compact ; period."
The tribe is expected to contribute $811.7 million by fiscal year 2013 under the proposed compact. Without a deal, the tribe won't have to share revenues.
Get the Story:
Proposed Gaming Compact Looks Unlikely to Pass
(News Service of Florida 11/3)
Legislators consider allowing gambling to compete with Seminole casinos (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 11/3)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) says the Obama administration is "tantalizingly close" to announcing its position on off-reservation gaming.
Schumer supports off-reservation casinos in the Catskills, about 90 minutes north of New York City. He wants the Obama administration to rescind a policy that makes its virtually impossible for tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations.
Schumer said he spoke with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on the issue and that he expects a decision "in the coming weeks."
Get the Story:
Catskills Confidential: Casino decision ‘tantalizingly close'
(The Middletown Times Herald-Record 11/3)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance
on taking off-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes (January 3,
2008)
November 2, 2009
The Osage Nation of Oklahoma is helping gaming employees go to college.
Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino employees can pursue certifications from Tulsa Community College in hospitality, restaurant management and gaming operations/protection.
The tribe pays up front for the classes.
"The Osage (casino) has really stepped up," Gornie Williams, an associate dean for business and information technology.. "They see their employees as valuable assets worthy of investment."
Get the Story:
Osage casino helps staff in college
(The Tulsa World 11/2)
Three tribes might work together on a joint off-reservation casino in Beloit, Wisconsin.
The St. Croix Chippewa Tribe and
the Bad River Band of
Lake Superior Chippewa Indians have local support for the Beloit. casino. Now the Ho-Chunk Nation is interested, having purchased the 37-acre site for $4 million.
“We’ve had our eye on this parcel for quite some time,” Ho-Chunk Nation Vice-President Daniel Brown told The Beloit Daily News. “The intention is to move in that direction.”
The St. Croix Tribe and Bad River Band have options on another site in Beloit. They have been talking with the Ho-Chunk Nation but they are still pursuing their own project, which is the subject of a November 13 hearing before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
"What’s important is economic stimulus for the tribes, for Beloit and for the county," spokesperson Joe Hunt told the paper.
Get the Story:
Ho-Chunk Nation buys casino land
(The Janeville Gazette 10/31)
Tribes to discuss future in Beloit (The Beloit Daily News 10/31)
BIA Letter: George Skibine to Bad River
Band/St. Croix Chippewa (January 13, 2009)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance on taking off-reservation land into
trust for gaming purposes (January 3, 2008)
The board of supervisors in Contra Costa County, California, is set drop its opposition to the casino sought by the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians in exchange for $12 million a year.
Supervisor John Gioia has led opposition to the proposed casino at Point Molate. But as the project moves through the federal approval process he has said the county should negotiate a deal to address potential impacts.
"We are having this issue now thrown on our lap. Our role is trying to sort through the best strategy to derive the greatest benefit for the community," Gioia told The Contra Costa Times.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has been working on an environmental impact
statement / environmental impact report for the casino. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) opposes it.
Get the Story:
County ready to back Point Molate casino plan
(The Contra Costa Times 11/1)
"Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul's call for the federal government to fine or shut down games at the Seminole Indians' casinos is highly unorthodox and a bit of a grandstand play.
In seeking federal intervention, he broke faith with the Senate and governor and further eroded the possibility Florida will strike a deal with the tribe. But there could be a silver lining if Cretul's overture to the National Indian Gaming Commission brings clarity to an untenable situation.
Now, Florida is in the worst of all worlds. Gambling — from Vegas-style slots to blackjack — has expanded dramatically at Seminole casinos, but the state has not approved it and has yet to be able to spend a single penny from it. Meanwhile, Florida's revenue shortfall for next year is projected to be $2.6 billion and its homegrown gambling venues, the dog and horse tracks and jai alai frontons, have seen their share of the market dwindle.
There is plenty of blame to go around. Gov. Charlie Crist failed to get the Legislature's consent in 2007 when he signed his first deal with the Seminoles, and the Florida Supreme Court threw out the agreement a year later because of that oversight. The state has been at a severe disadvantage in negotiations ever since, because the Seminoles now have the machines in place and are making money even without the state's approval."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Cretul rolls the dice
(The St. Petersburg Times 10/1)
More Opinions: Editorial: Gambling stalemate gets dicey for state (The Tampa Tribune 11/1) Editorial: A gambling table for three (The Palm Beach Post 10/30)
October 30, 2009
Correction: The court hearing takes place November 13., not on November 3.
The Ho-Chunk Nation today announced the purchase of land in Beloit, Wisconsin, where two other tribes have sought to build an off-reservation casino.
In a press release, Vice-President Daniel Brown announced the tribe's intentions. “We are looking forward to the chance to talk with local leaders about potential opportunities to bring jobs, economic development, and further investments to the Beloit area," he said.
The St. Croix Chippewa Tribe and
the Bad River Band of
Lake Superior Chippewa Indians want to build a casino on the site in Beloit. The Bush administration rejected the project in January of this year, and the issue will be heard by the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals on November 13.
In the press release, Brown said the Ho-Chunk Nation "remains the only tribal nation with a real opportunity to site a casino" in Beloit. The tribe's Class III compact allows another gaming site in the state, he said, and the tribe has "federally-recognized aboriginal ties" to Beloit and the region.
Get the Story:
Ho-Chunk buys Beloit casino property
(The Janesville Gazette 10/30)
BIA Letter: George Skibine to Bad River
Band/St. Croix Chippewa (January 13, 2009)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance on taking off-reservation land into
trust for gaming purposes (January 3, 2008)
The commercial casino owned by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan has seen a 6.1 percent increase in revenue and will emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the year, an executive said.
The Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit has cut hotel rates and reduced prices of amenities since declaring bankruptcy. Profits were up 38 percent in the last quarter as a result, chief executive Randall Fine told The Wall Street Journal.
Overall, revenues at Detroit's three casinos are down just 2 percent from last year. That's much better than the casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Get the Story:
Detroit Casinos Fare Surprisingly Well in Tough Times
(The Wall Street Journal 10/30)
The Gila River Indian Community of Arizona is making a big splash tonight with the opening of a $215 million casino resort.
The Wild Horse Pass
Hotel and Casino features 1,002 slot machines, 71 gaming tables, a non-smoking gaming area, five lounges, a nightclub, a showroom, a fast food court, several restaurants and a 242-room hotel. "There's no casino in Arizona that's going to be able to compete with our showroom," Harold Baugus, the chief executive officer of Gila River Gaming Enterprises, told The Arizona Republic.
Other tribes aren't going to stand by and see if that is true. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community is opening a casino with a 497-room hotel in spring 2010 and the Tohono O'odham Nation is proposing an even bigger facility in the area.
"The idea of the whole thing is to get people to come from farther distances, to get them to stay longer and to get them to spend more," Alan Meister, a principal economist and gaming expert for Nathan Associates, told the paper.
Get the Story:
Resort-casino first of flashy new breed in Ariz. gaming
(The Arizona Republic 10/30) Talking Stick destined to be Valley's largest casino hotel (The Arizona Republic 10/30) New Gila casino is state's largest (The East Valley Tribune 10/30)
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians is opposing a bill to restrict the expansion of its casino in San Pablo, California.
The tribe acquired the 10 acres for the San Pablo Lytton Casino through an act of Congress. The move allowed the tribe to bypass the land-into-trust process.
S.338, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinsten (D-California) would force the tribe to seek state and federal approval if it wants to increase the size of the facility or add Class III games to the casino. Currently, the tribe only offers Class II games.
The tribe initially supported the measure as a compromise but is now worried about competition from other potential casinos in the Bay Area.
"With two casinos proposed for the Richmond area, Senator Feinstein's legislation puts Lytton at a significant competitive disadvantage," a spokesperson for the tribe told The Contra Costa Times.
The bill passed the Senate in March. It was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee but no action has been taken, mainly due to opposition from the city of San Pablo, whose budget depends heavily on gaming revenues.
Get the Story:
San Pablo casino expansion limit weakening
(The Contra Costa Times 10/30)
October 29, 2009
A New Mexico man was sentenced to 50 years for stealing more than $1.2 million from the casino owned by Sandia Pueblo.
Daniel "Steve" Roybal was a slot machine manager at Sandia Resort and Casino. Authorities said he and another employee, who died before being indicted, cashed in fake jackpots and took as much as $42,000 a day from the tribe.
Roybal pleaded guilty to 17 of 699 felony charges of embezzlement and forgery
Get the Story:
Casino Embezzler Receives 50 Years
(The Albuquerque Journal 10/29)
After 43 rounds, the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma ended up with the winning bid for a racetrack in Texas.
Global Gaming
Solutions, a tribal subsidiary, offered $47.8 million for Lone Star Park. That's $20 million more than originally anticipated but tribe was able to beat out a competitor for the facility.
Lone Star's prior owner, Magna
Entertainment Corp., is in bankruptcy proceedings. The tribe bought Remington Park in Oklahoma
from Magna for $80.25 million.
Get the Story:
Chickasaw Nation subsidiary prevails again in reopened Lone Star Park auction
(The Dallas Morning News 10/28)
Judge approves sale of Lone Star Park (AP 10/28)
The Hannahville Indian
Community, a Potawatomi Tribe in Michigan, went to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to present its case for an off-reservation casino.
According to TV20 Detroit, the tribe met with officials from the Obama administration and with the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The tribe hopes to gain support for a $300 million resort in Romulus, nearly 500 miles from the reservation.
The Bush administration rejected the proposal in January 2008, citing a policy that makes it nearly impossible for tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations. The Obama administration is reviewing the policy.
Get the Story:
Romulus to Get A Casino?
(TV20 Detroit 10/28) New gamble could bring casino to Romulus (The Journal Newspapers of Michigan 10/29)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance
on taking off-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes (January 3,
2008)
October 28, 2009
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut says a commercial casino will bring jobs and development to western Massachusetts.
The tribe wants to build a casino in Palmer, near Springfield. Executives say construction will create 1,000 jobs and the resort will employ 3,000 people.
The project depends on approval by the Massachusetts Legislature. Last year, lawmakers rejected commercial gaming but top leaders predict success this time around.
Get the Story:
Mohegan Sun Steps Up Springfield Efforts
(The Hartford Courant 10/28)
Mohegan Sun officials predict jobs (The Waterbury Republican 10/28)
Massachusetts gamblers are all in for Conn. casinos, survey finds (The New Bedford Standard-Times 10/28) $15,000 a hand in Mohegan Sun game (The New London Day 10/28)
 
The Gila River Indian Community of Arizona will open the $215 million Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino on Friday.
The facility features 1,002 slot machines, 71 gaming tables, a non-smoking gaming area, five lounges, a nightclub, a showroom, a fast food court, several restaurants and a 242-room hotel.
"This is the first Las Vegas-style resort/casino in the Valley and Chandler's first nightclub district," Harold Baugus, the chief executive of Gila River Gaming Enterprises, told The East Valley Tribune.
The casino replaces another one in the Chandler area. The tribe also operates another casino on the reservation.
Get the Story:
$215M Gila River hotel/casino opens Friday
(The East Valley Tribune 10/28)
The Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma is trying to open a second casino in Kansas, KSN reports.
The tribe wants to use 10 acres in Park City for gaming. According to KSN, the land is already in trust.
'This will be a well thought out plan," tribal lobbyist Doug Spangler told KSN.
The tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs in April 2006 to approve a casino at the site. The request is still pending in Washington, D.C.
The tribe already operates a casino in downtown Kansas City. Although the site is trust land, the National Indian Gaming Commission claimed it couldn't be used for gaming. The courts eventually sided with the tribe after years of litigation.
Get the Story:
Casino in the works for Sedgwick County
(KSN 10/27)
The Menominee Nation of Wisconsin began work on the first phase of a $67 million casino expansion.
Phase one will cost $23.5 million and is expected to be completed in December 2010. The tribe will upgrade the gaming floor and hotel at the Menominee Casino Resort.
Phase two will bring a new gaming floor, two new restaurants, a bingo hall and entertainment center and guest suites to the hotel.
Get the Story:
Menominee all in for casino, hotel expansion
(The Green Bay Press-Gazette 10/28)
"As two of the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit, Stop the Casino 101 Coalition v. Kempthorne, challenging the U.S. Department of Interior’s decision to take 254 acres near Rohnert Park into trust for a casino to be owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, we would like to report to the community on the progress of the lawsuit.
On Monday, our attorneys filed opening briefs in 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
This important case tests the federal government’s ability to displace state jurisdiction and all local planning controls over a parcel of land and install Las Vegas-style gaming. More immediately, the court will decide whether local citizens directly affected by the government’s action have the right to ask federal courts to review it.
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Station Casinos intend to open a 762,000-square-foot hotel and casino, including at least 2,000 slot machines.
There is Indian land, and then there is Indian land. That is, there are remote lands Native Americans have occupied for generations, and there are urban lands tribes are now trying to purchase with the help of Las Vegas partners, such as Station Casinos, so they both can take advantage of the Indian monopoly on slot machines.
Many people think that California voters intended to approve Indian gaming only on historical Indian lands but not on newly purchased lands. We agree."
Get the Story:
Chip Worthington and Mike Healy: Why we are suing to block the casino
(The Petaluma Argus-Courier 10/28)
October 27, 2009
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Indians has filed a counter-claim in a lawsuit over a revenue-sharing agreement with the city of Duluth, Minnesota.
The tribe has been sharing 19 percent of gross slot machine revenues from the Fond-du-Luth
Casino for the last 25 years. Now it wants all $75.5 million back.
"The legal paperwork speaks for itself," Chairwoman Karen Diver told The Duluth News Tribune.
The tribe says the revenue-sharing agreement violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and cannot be enforced.
Get the Story:
Fond du Lac Band says city should repay $75 million in casino funds
(The Duluth News Tribune 10/27) Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianz
Court Documents:
City of Duluth v. Fond du Lac Band Dispute over Revenue Sharing (Turtle Talk 10/26)
Earlier StorY: Fond du Lac Band
cuts city's casino payout (8/18)
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
Nation of Connecticut continues to renegotiate more than $2 billion in casino debt.
The tribe entered into a forbearance agreement with its lenders. The agreement runs until January 20, 2010, giving the tribe more time to renegotiate debt without punitive action.
The tribe reportedly owes as much as $2.3 billion related to the financing of Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods.
Slot machine revenues have fallen over the past year as the economy fell into recession.
Get the Story:
Tribe secures extension on debt talks
(The New London Day 10/27)
Foxwoods’ owners reach forbearance deal with lenders (The Boston Globe 10/27)
Foxwoods Receives Reprieve on Debt (The Hartford Courant 10/26)
Foxwoods Owner Reaches Debt Forebearance Agreement (The New York Times 10/26)
Gov. Charlie Crist (R) remains hopeful that the Florida Legislature will approve a Class III gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.
Crist was the first governor in the state's history to come to the table with the tribe. "To me, it seems so obviously the right thing to do," he said of the agreement, The Miami Herald reported.
Crist attended the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) annual meeting on Monday. He was called "an honorable man and a friend of the tribe" by Seminole leaders, the Herald reported.
The tribe has agreed to share $150 million in gaming revenues a year in exchange for slot machines and table games. Some lawmakers say the tribe shouldn't have exclusive rights to Class III games.
Get the Story:
Gov. Charlie Crist hopeful for Seminoles gambling pact
(The Miami Herald 10/27)
Also Today:
Nick Sortal: I told the governor to hustle it up with poker (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 10/27)
The Hannahville Indian Community, a Potawatomi Tribe in Michigan, has refiled an application for an off-reservation casino.
The tribe wants to open a $300 million casino and hotel on 27 acres in Romulus. The gaming site is nearly 500 miles from the reservation.
A gaming facility remains a standing goal of the City of Romulus, especially given the unemployment rate in Michigan," Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan) wrote in a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Bush administration rejected the proposal in January 2008 under an off-reservation gaming policy that is being reviewed.
Get the Story:
Romulus closer to getting a casino
(The Detroit Free Press 10/27)
Off-Reservation Gaming Policy: Guidance
on taking off-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes (January 3,
2008)
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is confident of its plans for a casino, a spokesperson said, despite hitting a number of setbacks.
The tribe gained federal recognition in May 2007 after a decades-long wait. A couple of months later, residents of the town of Middleboro overwhelmingly voted in favor of a casino and the tribe submitted a land-into-trust application for the gaming site in August 2007.
The tribe's fortunes soon began to unravel. The tribe's former chairman, a strong proponent of the gaming plan, was indicted on fraud and corruption charges and eventually pleaded guilty.
Then came the U.S. Supreme Court
decision in Carcieri
v. Salazar. The decision effectively bars tribes that weren't "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934 from following the land-into-trust process.
The tribe's deal with its casino backers soon came apart amid the downturn in the national economy. Tribal leaders say they are negotiating a new agreement but they have already scaled back plans for a casino resort.
"Since the last time, all the tribe has encountered is problem after problem after problem," Richard Young, a founder of Casinofacts.org and president of CasinoFreeMass told The Cape Cod Times. "I don't see how they can overcome any of the hurdles."
Chairman Cedric Cromwell will tout the tribe's plan at a gaming hearing before the Massachusetts Legislature on Thursday. "We are fully confident that Indian gaming is going to be a reality for our tribe," he told the Times in a statement.
Get the Story:
Tribe loses clout in state casino debate
(The Cape Cod Times 10/27)
Also Today:
Legislature ready to roll the dice on casino? (GateHouse News Service 10/26)
Steve Decosta: Voice of casino opposition has evolved, shifted (South Coast Today 10/26)
October 26, 2009
Oklahoma tribes shared over $105 million in gaming revenues with the state during fiscal year 2009, The Muskogee Phoenix reports.
The payments represented an increase of 12.7 percent from fiscal year 2008. The numbers have steadily risen since voters approved an expansion of gaming in 2004.
"This money benefits all Oklahomans by supporting public education and the horse racing industry across the state," Mark Fulton, the vice president of operations for Cherokee Nation Entertainment, told the paper.
The Chickasaw Nation, the Choctaw Nation and the Cherokee Nation share the bulk of the payments.
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Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes share up to 50 percent of gaming revenues with their members
The Mohegan Tribe, owners of Mohegan Sun, dedicates 40 to 50 percent for per capita payments. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods, dedicates 30 percent to per capita payments.
Both tribes submitted revenue application plans to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Mohegan plan was approved in July 2001 while the Mashantucket's updated plan was approved in January 2008.
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Tribal stipends under scrutiny
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