Editorial: No tribal casino without voter approval

"The [Eastern] Shawnee [of Oklahoma] have a historic tie to this region, and their businesses ought to be welcomed here with more than the usual Ohio hospitality, but casino gambling is not just any old industry, as Congress wisely recognized in passing the 1988 act and creating the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Taft and the Interior secretary should hold the line against the Shawnee or any other gambling group trying to introduce casino-style gambling to Ohio without a statewide vote.

They can buy up all the land they want in Monroe or other parts of Ohio, but under the federal Indian Gaming law, they can't put a Class III casino on it without the governor's OK and the secretary of the Interior designating it Indian land held in trust for the tribe. The secretary also would have to agree the casino is in the best interest of tribal members and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Hold the line on Indian casinos (The Cincinnati Enquirer 10/8)

Column: Don't gamble on slot machine initiative

"If I-892 passes, Seattle could get slots at 105 places, in almost every neighborhood. Bellevue has 11 licensed spots. Woodinville six. Issaquah eight. Federal Way 14. Even tiny Black Diamond has three.

Are we so hooked on gambling we need slot machines in almost every community, no matter how small?

That's what I-892 comes down to. All the talk is about the industry fight between the big players, the tribes and the out-of-state casinos.

But if I-892 passes, it will be the little places that actually feel the difference."

Get the Story:
Danny Westneat: I-892: Do we realize the gamble? (The Seattle Times 10/6)

Editorial: Initiative wrong to pit whites against Indians

"'Just treat us the same,' I-892 promoters say, in a thinly veiled play to the acrimony some whites feel toward the tribes, picking at old scabs over hunting and fishing disputes. The real 'us' is the non-tribal gambling interests eager to exploit this opportunity.

Unlike tribal gambling proceeds, which are committed to social and health services, the 65 percent video slots 'take' would go to private gambling interests.

The sweetener for this sour deal for the rest of "us" is the prospect of a cut in state property taxes.

That's the come-on. Initiative 892 isn't about cutting taxes; it's about expanding gambling."

Get the Story:
Editorial: I-892 a sucker's bet (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/5)

Column: Non-compete clause promises big bucks

"Chicago pol Morgan Murphy Jr. is rolling the dice one last time in his never-ending quest to score some big bucks by turning Kenosha into a casino town.

The former Illinois congressman's company, Nii-Jii Entertainment, is barely breathing and has almost nothing in the bank. But that won't stop this group from trying to collect on its failed attempt to open a casino at Kenosha's Dairyland Greyhound Park.

You see, while its bid went down in flames, Murphy & Co. salvaged one golden asset - a non-compete clause preventing the Menominee tribe from teaming up with anybody else to operate a Kenosha casino.

That could be a huge problem for the Menominee tribe in its latest effort to open an off-reservation casino. In January, the tribe hooked up with the Mohegan tribe, which runs a successful Connecticut casino, and local trucking magnate Dennis Troha, who is also a Nii-Jii shareholder.

Sources say Nii-Jii initially asked the Menominee for tens of millions of dollars to go away, though a negotiated payment in the $10 million neighborhood seems more realistic."

Get the Story:
Spivak & Bice: Trying to win big off failed casino project (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 10/1)

Opinion: State demanding too much from tribes

Former National Indian Gaming Commission general counsel Kevin Washburn: "With Gov. Tim Pawlenty's announcement that he wants Indian tribes to share their gaming revenues with the state, Minnesota's Indian tribes find themselves in the uncomfortable position of knowing that resources will be taken from them. Tribes are now trying to decide whether to negotiate or stand firm.

This is not a happy position for tribes, but it is a familiar one. Every valuable resource that Indian tribes have ever possessed, from gold in the Black Hills to oil in Alaska (and likely, dear reader, the land on which you are standing), was taken from tribes by threat, force, negotiation or a combination of the three. Thus, even though federal law prohibits states from taxing Indian gaming, history makes it seem inevitable that the state will have Indian gaming revenues. My concern is that the governor has handicapped the negotiations by overestimating gaming revenues"

Get the Story:
Kevin Washburn: Don't overestimate gaming industry revenues (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 10/1)
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Opinion: Revenue sharing can be good for tribes

"The Indian casinos have limited gambling appeal to tourists, and for that matter many citizens. They do not have table games other than blackjack. Our government can renegotiate the compacts so that the casinos gain additional appeal and revenue, and the state gets a fair financial return. Making the Indian casinos more attractive to in-state and out-of-state gamblers negates the importance of an operation such as the proposed Ceasars. The Indian casinos eventually could provide a similar return to the state. This return could be put to use for tourism, education, stadiums, etc."

Get the Story:
Tom Sutton: Casinos and the state can both be winners (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 9/29)
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Lawmakers: Negotiate with tribes to allow gaming

"Whatever the arguments are against legalized gaming, the reality is that 30 states have Indian gaming, we already have gaming in the form of the state lottery, and there is clearly a demand among Massachusetts residents for casino entertainment.

In supporting the bids by the Nipmucs and the Wampanoags to establish a casino in Massachusetts, lawmakers can better negotiate revenue-sharing with the tribes. If either tribe secures the right to build a gaming venue on tribal land, we lose the leverage of higher possible revenues.

Despite the improving budget picture in Massachusetts state government, our critical budget needs in education, Medicaid, and local aid to cities and towns are rising faster than our ability to fund those needs. What principle are we standing on while we continue to lose revenue, jobs, and tourism dollars to other states and ignore an important means to fund critical programs?

We should sit down with these tribes and other interested parties to work out a long-range plan that would bring limited casino gaming to Massachusetts and reap the benefits of the revenues and jobs we are now just exporting to other states."

Get the Story:
George N. Peterson Jr. and Mark J. Carron: Massachusetts needs casinos (The Boston Globe 9/16)

Opinion: Governor should reject off-reservation casino

"Congress passed IGRA to allow tribes to participate in gambling opportunities at the same level that is legal within a state, not to promote expansion of gambling within a state or to enrich gambling developers.

Taking lands in trust is generally a procedure used to acquire lands contiguous to existing tribal lands or lands previously occupied by the tribe. "Reservation shopping" to find hot urban locations for a casino hundreds of miles from legitimate tribal territory is inconsistent with historical land in trust acquisitions.

How would Santa Feans like to see a tribal casino open up in downtown Santa Fe? The Hotel Santa Fe, on land already owned by the Picuris Pueblo, certainly has that potential."

Get the Story:
Guy C. Clark/New Mexico Coalition Against Gambling: Richardson Should Deny Looming Casino Push (The Albuquerque Journal 9/13)

Column: How many Indians needed for a casino?

"Of all the astounding figures tied to the rapid rise of Indian casinos in California, perhaps the most remarkable statistic is the number of tribe members it takes to pitch a plan for a 2,000-slot-machine gambling hall.

It turns out it's five -- the size of the California Valley Miwok tribe, which is now considering an offer from outside investors to build a sizable casino on the outskirts of Gilroy's famed garlic fields.

The idea is only in the preliminary stage, after all -- the tiny tribe doesn't even have claim to land in the area. But with California in the twitchy grip of casino fever, it's probably only a matter of time before out- of-state gambling concerns find a two-member tribe to help them expand their fortunes."

Get the Story:
Ken Garcia: Casino fever grips the Golden State (The San Francisco Chronicle 9/13)

Columm: I was wrong about benefits of tribal casino

"Nine years ago I stood outside a tent in a muddy field here as tribal leaders described how gambling would shoot them to the moon.

They predicted that out of the tent — a temporary casino — would flow a stream of money unlike anything the destitute tribe had ever seen.

They also pledged that while some may see the business as seedy, all the winnings would be put to virtuous use — for economic development, health and education.

I was skeptical. I figured the casino also would bring greed and corruption. I guessed the Muckleshoots were like any bureaucracy: grand plans, but soon infighting and inefficiency would bog them down.

Was I ever wrong. "

Get the Story:
Danny Westneat: Tribe made its gamble pay off (The Seattle Times 9/10)

Ernie Stevens: Gaming adequately regulated

"Indian gaming is regulated by three governments: Tribal, federal and state. In addition to the NIGC, the tribes work with the Department of Justice's FBI, Treasury's IRS and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs within Interior. Because of this comprehensive web of regulation, federal agencies have consistently reported that the tribal regulatory system is working to protect the integrity of the games and to shield Indian gaming from corruption. Conversely, state lotteries, commercial casinos and race tracks have consistently fought the establishment of a federal regulatory body, and currently answer to no federal regulatory agency despite constant reports of regulatory concerns. Talk about umpiring your own game."

Get the Story:
Ernie Stevens: Indian Gaming Covered by Three Governments (The Wall Street Journal 9/1)
Earlier Article: As Indian Casinos Grow, Regulation Raises Concerns (The Wall Street Journal 8/23)

Editorial: Casino coming to your neighborhood

"When California voters approved the Indian gaming initiative in 2000, they thought they were bringing an economic renewal opportunity to impoverished, out-of-the-way reservations. How naive that now seems.

The tribes quickly made mountains of money and used it to buy political clout, easily purchased in California. And now some Indian tribes (a designation that has become looser than North Las Vegas slot machines) are using that clout to push casinos into urban areas.

As a result, the fragile dam that has held back Vegas-style gambling in California is springing some serious leaks. It hasn't burst yet, but it's about to."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Neighborhood casinos (The Long Beach Press Telegram 8/19)

Editorial: Tribe, company to blame for casino failure

"Much of this year's chaos over the casino vote can be traced to the legislature's foolish approach of keeping the bill under wraps until the last possible moment. Harrah's lobbyists also did the casino company and its Rhode Island partner, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, a costly disservice by failing to flag the constitutional problems well in advance.

When it became clear last month that there were constitutional flaws in the legislation, politicians even flirted with rushing through a bill to amend the constitution on a Friday night, with little opportunity for public involvement. That's not the way to treat the constitution -- the document that establishes the perimeters of government, in order to shield the public from abuses of power."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The casino mess (The Providence Journal 8/15)
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Editorial: Editorial: IGRA a ruse to help casino companies

"Since the disastrous passing of the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, in 1988, casino companies have sought out (and even sought to help invent) assorted tribes as cover to let the companies set up shop in areas with many sucker sheep to be shorn, with much of the wool to be shipped backed to Vegas and other home cities of this 'economic development.' Meanwhile, local politicians are brought into the fold. Some of them even go to work for the casino companies! (We know readers will find that hard to believe.)

Fine. Let the people decide. But let's at least have enough respect for the law to make sure that what's going on the ballot is constitutional. Surely, even the vast promotional budgets of enterprises such as Harrah's don't trump that, too."

Get the Story:
Editorial: But is it legal? (The Providence Journal 8/3)
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Column: Confusion over tribal casino referendum

"So Rhode Islanders are faced with the prospect that a highly emotional referendum campaign will be waged from now to November, with both sides in the debate spending lavishly, voters having to try to sort through the claims and counter-claims -- and then, despite a majority of voters saying yes, they want the West Warwick facility, the court tells them, this time not in advisory ruling but in a fully thrashed out case, that it is indeed unconstitutional.

Perhaps anyone advertising during the referendum should have to include this disclaimer:

'By the way, the proposed casino may violate the Constitution's requirement that any lottery be state-operated. Therefore, this whole campaign may be irrelevant. We regret any inconvenience. Have a nice day.'"

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Casino issue: Please spare us the confusion (The Providence Journal 8/3)
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Commentary: Hopi Tribe says no to gambling

"The remarkably reserved Hopi people of the Four Corners area caused a small but welcome storm in the Southwest desert recently by voting against gambling.

The Hopis can serve as an example to other tribes - and to states looking for easy revenue by resorting to gambling. With high rates of alcoholism and drug abuse among many Native Americans, the Hopis' choice to avoid another vice is a virtue that can't be ignored."

Get the Story:
Commentary: Hopis Don't Roll the Dice (The Christian Science Monitor 7/29)

Professor: 'Clever' wording in tribal casino bid

The referendum for the Narragansett Tribe's casino in Rhode Island is a "rather cleverly-worded bill" that will deny voters their rights, according to a retired professor and former state lawmaker.

Rod Driver calls on voters to reject the referendum. He supports the view held by Gov. Donald Carcieri (R), an opponent of the tribal casino, that the state constitution limits gaming.

Carcieri has vetoed the casino bill but the Democrat-controlled legislature is moving to override it. Republican lawmakers fear Democrats will try to change the state constitution in response to Carcieri's challenge that current law would prohibit a privately-owned casino.

Get the Story:
Rod Driver: A roulette referendum: Sneaky bid to disempower R.I. voters (The Providence Journal 7/20)
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Casino foes fear effort to amend the constitution (The Providence Journal 7/20)
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Professor: Gaming motivates tribal recognition

Tribes seeking federal recognition are doing so only because they want to open a casino, a University of Nevada professor said during an online chat yesterday.

William N. Thompson, a professor and gambling researcher at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas, took questions about gaming issues. One person asked: "Is there a relationship between the granting of federal recognition to tribes and the arrival of slots and other forms of gambling?"

Thompson's reply was: "Absolutely. There is no group in America seeking recognition as a Native American entity that is not doing so for the precise reason that they want gambling operations. Period."

Thompson went on to say that the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act increased interest in being a Native American. "Since then, every issue involving Native Americans of any consequence has been tied to gambling," he says. "It's a fact of life."

Get the Story:
Outlook: Slots of Trouble? (The Washington Post 7/19)
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William N. Thompson: Bad Bet (The Washington Post 7/17)
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Column: Tribe deserves respect but not a casino

"In Charlestown yesterday, the Indians commemorated the first anniversary of Carcieri's sending in the state police to close their tax-free smoke shop. The raid touched off a furor and built sympathy for the tribe.

'If some people's eyes were opened because of what happened last year, certainly we welcome that,' First Councilman Randy Noka told me. 'The truth of the matter is eyes have to be opened. The reality is that we've been treated with indifference too long.'

Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas told me, 'We're not looking for any sympathy.' Instead, the tribe wants 'respect.'

And it should have respect. But not a casino."

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Looking for a few good men or women (The Providence Journal 7/15)
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Column: States shouldn't rely on gaming dollars

"Never mind the moral qualms over whether the state should be depending on gambling as a source of revenue.

Government long ago graduated from being merely the piano player to being the social-events coordinator in this particular sporting house.

Never mind also whether the proliferation of gambling threatens to tacky up the landscape. That slippery slope was long ago descended toboggan style, witness just in this state with proliferation of advertisements for casinos. Slots in every retail establishment are merely a question of time."

Get the Story:
Gambling craze not a good bet for states (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/13)

Opinion: Rincon Band shouldn't fight other tribes

"Rincon Tribal Chairman John Currier should stop complaining about the five tribes signing new compacts with the state and be thankful for his own tribe's casino near the main highway. The joint venture with Harrah's of Las Vega has made the Rincon tribe successful in the casino business.

The Pauma Band of Mission Indians was very happy to see Rincon grow from a temporary, midsize casino to a permanent structure with 1,700 to 2,000 slot machines and a large hotel. Several years ago, the Paumas contemplated building a larger casino and hotel, but the tribe decided to hold off until the Pala and Rincon bands finished their projects.

When the Rincons expanded their business, Currier wasn't concerned about the Pauma casino and how much business the Rincons may take away from our tribe."

Get the Story:
M.B. 'Sonny' Magante: Tribes don't compete for dollars (The North County Times 7/13)

Editorial: Politicians making sleazy slot deals

"Slot machines are fast becoming America's preferred way to tax the poor. Politicians from a growing number of states have decided that slots can help pay education costs or stave off tax increases. But it's a fool's bargain. Slot machines, as any experienced gambler can tell you, are a sucker's game. While they are a harmless amusement for many, their increasing accessibility is draining money away from too many people who cannot afford it.

The check-cashing services and A.T.M.'s located next to so many slots are mute testimony to the inability of many gamblers to bet only what they can afford. And yet the states that are relying more on gambling are playing carnival barker, urging even the poor to step right up and risk more."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Lemons in a Row (The New York Times 7/13)
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Editorial: Rincon Band should drop compact lawsuit

"The Rincon tribe should save its money and accept the decision by a federal judge Wednesday denying the tribe's request for a restraining order to block Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new gambling compact with five other tribes ---- three of them from San Diego County.

A lawyer for the Rincon tribe, which runs a casino and hotel in Valley Center, said after the ruling that the tribe may appeal to the 9th Circuit.

That looks like a loser."

Get the Story:
Our View: Rincon tribe should fold its losing hand (The North County Times 7/9)

Editorial: New compacts about more than just money

"Once again, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised the moon and settled for an asteroid. Not a bad asteroid — not a real clinker — mind you, but one offering considerably less than lunar glow. In fact, the most interesting parts of the tentative deal between Schwarzenegger and the Indian tribes that own about 1/10th of the state's casinos have little to do with the increased state funding the governor was after.

The money details are well known by now — more gambling profits from Indian tribe-owned casinos will go to the state as "fees," and the casinos get to add all the slot machines they want, paying an additional fee (not a tax, of course) for each machine."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A Middling Hand for State (The Los Angeles Times 6/29)
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Editorial: Gaming deal a 'jackpot' for California

"The state gets a billion dollars; five Indian tribes get a lot more slot machines. More important, the state and the tribes have found a way of living together more harmoniously under new gaming compacts signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and tribal leaders.

While the new compacts allow Indian gaming to grow, they give the state more control over its operation and its off-site impacts.

What the governor and the tribes have agreed on, to the credit of them all, is a far better model for Indian gaming than either of two initiatives on the November ballot."

Get the Story:
State hits $1 billion jackpot (The San Jose Mercury News 6/22)
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Editorial: Arnold's 'fair share' deal a bad one

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants you to believe that he is making Indian casino operators pay their "fair share.''

But here is what he is leaving out: The billion-dollar deal will usher in gambling on a scale never imagined before in California. His plan is to collect $1 billion with smaller sums in following years in exchange for no limits on slot machines at 52 casinos."

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: Arnold's big gamble (The San Francisco Chronicle 6/18)

Editorial: Tribes should help gambling addicts

"In light of the state Legislature's feckless support for problem gamblers, the willingness of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to donate $350,000 for treatment is nice. Not overwhelming, but welcome.

Try to find a parking space at the tribe's casino near Auburn on a Saturday afternoon. The place is packed. Indeed, the casino is busy enough the tribe is investing $20 million in a 2,700-space parking garage.

Let's see, $350,000 is about 1.75 percent of the cost of a garage that will pay handsome dividends. Don't call them parking stalls, they are parking slots."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Tribes should ante up for addicted gamblers (The Seattle Times 6/15)

Editorial: Urban casino in Grand Forks a good idea

"A casino in Grand Forks would create that opportunity for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa. Their community is remote and hard to get to - three hours from Grand Forks or Winnipeg and 90 minutes from Minot - so it's not a good location for a casino.

Yet the Chippewa of Turtle Mountain want to benefit from Indian gaming just as other reservation communities have done. Grand Forks is a possibility for them because it lies within lands historically claimed by the tribe."

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: Casino would liven up Grand Forks (The Grand Forks Herald 6/8)

Editorial: Time to stop 'bluffing' on gaming compacts

"A high-stakes card game has ensued since the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that Gov. James Doyle overstepped his authority in signing Indian gaming pacts.

In politics, of course, there's always a lot of bluffing and posturing, which we normally take with a grain of salt. But we can't help but being a little bit nervous over all this since Wisconsin's budget faces a potential revenue shortfall of $207 million without the gaming compacts."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Stop the bluffing on gaming pacts (The Racine Journal Times 6/1)

Some Wisconsin tribes not ready to sign new deal

Representatives of nine Wisconsin tribes met with Gov. Jim Doyle (D) on Friday to discuss gaming compacts that were invalidated by the state Supreme Court.

Doyle is eager to sign new deals that will pass legal muster. But some tribal leaders said they aren't sure how quickly an agreement can be reached. The vice-chairwoman of the Oneida Nation said the tribe wasn't ready to sign at all.

Some tribes plan to operate under provisions of old compacts The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe said it would send $6.4 million to the state but not $34 million as required by the disputed compact.

Get the Story:
Joel McNally: Doyle meets with tribes on gaming pacts (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 5/22)
GAMING COMPACTS: Doyle meets with tribal leaders (AP 5/22)
Doyle, Tribes Discuss Options For Gaming Compacts (Channel 3000 5/22)
Wisconsin ranks third in tribal revenue (The Portage Daily Register 5/21)

Column: High court played politics with gaming

"Now a partisan Republican majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has sided with the Republican leaders of the Assembly and the state Senate to kill Indian gambling compacts negotiated by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle that threatened to pour hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue into the state treasury.

The immediate effect will be to blow a $200 million hole in the current state budget."

Get the Story:
Joel McNally: Wisconsin high court plays politics (The Capitol Times 5/22)

Editorial: Lawmakers need final say on gaming deals

"Everyone's a hypocrite" when it comes to the debate over Indian gaming compacts, The Wisconsin State Journal says.

Tribes, Democrats, Republicans and other "capitol connivers" have put their own spin on a court ruling that struck down the first compact Gov. Jim Doyle (D) signed, the paper says. But the paper endorses Republican lawmakers who want final say over the process.

"Doyle and other elected leaders also should put their heads together to cut another deal quickly - that allows the legislative approval sought by the lawsuit and required by the state constitution," the paper says.

In another editorial, the paper says tribes need to share more revenues with the state. Tribes were expected to contribute $207 million but the paper says it isn't enough for what they are getting.

"Republican lawmakers have long contended that Doyle gave away too much - exclusive, expanded casino gambling rights and longer agreements between the state and tribe - in exchange for too little money," the paper says.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Cut new gambling deals quickly (The Wisconsin State Journal 5/22)
Editorial: What about state's share of casino proceeds? (The Wisconsin State Journal 5/23)

Column: Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes 'extort' casino

"Annemarie Beck isn't worried about losing her home to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. Neither is Gov. Bill Owens. Nor am I.

Beck owns a house in Castle Rock. Owens has a place in Centennial. I'm in Denver. All of us live within the 27 million acres the Cheyenne and Arapaho now say belongs to them because of 19th-century treaty violations, "aboriginal rights" and attempted genocide.

That's pretty high-minded language for people trying to extort a casino out of the residents of Colorado."

Get the Story:
Jim Spencer: Land claim has feel of extortion (The Denver Post 5/19)

Opinion: Tribes trying to protect slot machine monopoly

"Obviously, the tribes [in Washington] like their government-protected monopoly. They've already spent tens of thousands of dollars on mailings and likely will spend tens of millions of dollars to fight I-892. I believe the biggest reason our opponents are so upset is because of one little fact: It is the voters who will determine the fate of I-892. Regular citizens are going to walk into the ballot booth in November, absent the threats, fear and intimidation of opponents, and decide whether I-892 becomes law.

The tribes, the politicians and the media are terrified of a debate over the merits of I-892. They can't defend the indefensible: our state's property tax system. They offer no alternative except continued skyrocketing property taxes."

Get the Story:
Tim Eyman: I-892 protesters haven't been 'slimed' (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 5/18)

Editorial: Cheyenne-Arapaho casino 'bad bargain'

The Denver Post urges Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R) to reject the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes' casino proposal. $P The paper notes its support for Indian issues "but this isn't one of them," "This is nothing more than a get-rich-quick scheme wrapped in the flag of phony altruism," the paper says. $P The tribes, based in Oklahoma, claim 27 million acres of land in eastern Colorado. They say they will settle for 500 acres and gaming rights at a site outside of Denver. The tribes say the facility would generate $1 billion over 10 years for the state.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Indian casino plan is a bad bargain (The Denver Post 5/17)

Editorial: Wisconsin governor abusing power

"Hold the hysteria: The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling Thursday overturning American Indian casino deals need not shut down gambling, imperil jobs, impoverish the tribes or bankrupt state government. It's a simple message from the state's top court to the state's top elected official: Governor, stop abusing your power."

Get the Story:
Doyle gets his comeuppance (The Wisconsin State Journal 5/14)

Column: Florida needs compact with Seminole Tribe

"A state gambling compact with the Seminoles (and the Miccosukees) would limit casinos to reservations. The Hard Rock in Hollywood was built on the site of a trailer park along a depressing stretch of U.S. 441. Not on the beaches or in other tourist areas that might have been altered by hordes of gamblers. It could bring in millions in tax revenue that could be earmarked for education.

The tribes, already rich, would get even richer.

The problem, of course, is one of mind-set, after a generation of governors and attorneys general have warred, in the courts, with the Seminoles since the tribe opened a tax-free cigarette shop on U.S. 441 in 1977. Two years later, the tribe opened a 1,500-seat bingo hall. Ever since, state officials have been campaigning like country preachers against Indian gambling."

Get the Story:
Fred Grimm: State loses big at Hard Rock virtual casino (The Miami Herald 5/13)
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Opinion: Indian gaming a 'boon' for California

"Indian gaming is a boon for the state. But we shouldn't allow the Sacramento sinkhole to collect and control the revenues. I want to see the money in action on a local level. Currently, many tribes give to their local communities.

Indian gaming generates about $120 million in state and local taxes annually, which mostly assists local communities affected by gaming. Another $120 million per year goes to non-gaming tribes to help with various social programs. Locally, the Pechanga Band is helping to bring business and tourism to the area. Recently, they signed a three-year contract as title sponsor of the California State Open Golf Championship to be played in Murrieta.

Certainly, the state of California would not be so inclined to invest in our community."

Get the Story:
Elaine Bellucci: Leave Indian money alone (The Californian 5/13)

Editorial: It's time to say no to more Indian gaming

"California is at a crossroads. Its response to the pressure to allow greater proliferation of gambling -- either by lifting the barriers on the scale of tribal operations or letting racetracks and card rooms into the game -- will determine whether this state will surpass Nevada as the nation's gaming mecca.

It's time to say no."

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL Governor, don't expand gambling (The San Francisco Chronicle 5/11)

Opinion: Tribal casinos a 'tax' on poor non-Indians

"In essence, these Indian casinos are hidden regressive tax hikes on the non-Indians living nearby. The tax is regressive in that lower-income people tend to frequent casinos more than upper-income people, and therefore tend to have more of their incomes taxed by the casinos. The tax is hidden in that most people do not understand the taxing effects of these casinos -- and the tribes and their backers do everything they can to squelch honest public debate of the issue.

Meanwhile, the casino tribes' hired guns from Las Vegas and Atlantic City rig the odds to ensure that their profits far exceed any revenue sharing with state government or campaign contributions to buy politicians' silence. That is why despite the $400 million or so annual kickback paid by the Pequots and the Mohegans to the State of Connecticut, far more money goes out of the state, via the losses incurred by the citizens of Connecticut. On combined annual revenues of about $2.5 billion, the two Indian casinos are pickpocketing far more than $400 million from local people."

Get the Story:
Brett Duval Fromson: 'Hellish landscape of losers' (The Providence Journal 5/11)
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Column: Lobbyists to make 'big bucks' on casino bid

"The Ho-Chunk tribe is clearly facing long odds in its bid to place a mammoth casino complex in a Chicago suburb. The smart money says it won't happen.

But one thing is a sure bet:

The lobbyists will rake in big bucks off the proposal."

Get the Story:
Cary Spivak & Dan Bice: Lobbyists are big winners in casino gamble (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 5/7)

Editorial: Call bluff on Warm Springs Tribes casino plans

"The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have dealt Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski a hand they hope he can't refuse. But the idea to plant a 500,000-square-foot building in Cascade Locks is not all aces.

Cascade Locks is within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area an area set aside for its unique aesthetic wonder, meant to be protected as a natural resource. It is also the preferred site of the tribes for a casino.

The trouble for the tribes and others pushing the site, including various Cascade Locks leaders is that the site is not reservation land. That means the tribes need permission from Oregon's governor to move ahead."

Get the Story:
Opinion - In Our View: Tribes' Bet Is In (The Columbian 4/29)

Editorial: Catawba Nation's 'end run' on the state

"The Catawba Indian Nation is trying two approaches to convince the Legislature to allow it to operate a high-stakes bingo hall at Santee. On the one hand, the tribe argues that it’s only fair. On the other, it threatens to open a video poker operation in York County if the Legislature says “no.”

We’re not convinced that the state has an obligation to guarantee the Catawbas a profit on gambling — and indeed, the more we learn about their proposed “bingo” operation, the less difference we can see between it and video gambling; still, the question of “fairness” is a legitimate issue that legislators should consider, and we’re glad the Catawbas are trying to make their case to state legislators rather than attempting to get the Congress to make an end-run around the state."

Get the Story:
York video poker less ominous than Santee ‘bingo’ (The State 4/28)

Editorial: Cheyenne-Arapahos should play by the rules

"There have been two Indian-owned casinos in Colorado for a decade: the Ute Mountain Utes' in Towaoc and the Southern Utes' in Ignacio. Although their reservations existed long before 1988, they also adhere to the $5 limit. According to Don Burmania of the Colorado Gaming Commission, that's because federal law limits the tribes to the same rules as non-Indian casinos in the state. There is a provision allowing them to go to court and challenge the $5 limit, Burmania said, but the two Colorado tribes have chosen not to do so.

We have no objection to an Indian-owned casino in one of the mountain towns. But if the Arapaho and Cheyenne are granted a small reservation on which to build one, they should have to play by the sames rules as every other casino in the state."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Latest casino idea better but still flawed (The Denver Rocky Mountain News 4/27)

Column: Tribe's Kansas casino just 'pocket change'

"The Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma appears to have backup sources of income that will help keep tribal cupboards from going bare while its 7th Street Casino in Kansas City, Kan., is closed.

The tribe, based in Wyandotte, Okla., recently filed court pleadings that argued lost casino revenues “support a variety of essential tribal governmental services to its members, including housing, education, medical care and public service.”

I'm sure they do. But for this tribe, that lost income might be pocket change."

Get the Story:
Tribe's financial picture isn't dreary (The Kansas City Star 4/27)
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Editorial: Keep close watch on anti-gaming petition

"An anti-gambling coalition is none too pleased about having gaming machines at Oklahoma's pari-mutuel horse tracks, so it's trying to overturn the law that allowed them. A successful effort would have serious consequences.

Coalition chairman Rep. Forrest Claunch, R-Midwest City, a longtime opponent of gambling, lost his fight against SB 553 in the Legislature. It's unfortunate he and other coalition members feel this move is necessary, but they have every right to try. Their progress will be followed closely, for sure."

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Oklahoman Editorial: Petition drive has big ramifications (The Daily Oklahoman 4/23)
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Editorial: Gaming influencing tribal decisions

"Gambling dollars have unfortunately become a main source of revenue for most native American tribes. In California, for instance, the state's 54 Indian gaming casinos bring in some $6 billion a year.

The lure of easy money has caused Indian casinos to proliferate to more than 330, and the opportunity for more has many native Americans working side by side with gambling interests to gain federal recognition as tribes (a prerequisite for opening a casino). Indian tribal offices have been flooded with "I'm an Indian, too" calls."

Get the Story:
Commentary: Gambling on the Reservation (The Christian Science Monitor 4/23)

Opinion: Non-Indian slot initiative a bad idea

"If Tim Eyman were king — now there's a frightening thought — Washingtonians hankering to play electronic slot machines would not have to drive 35 minutes to the nearest Indian casino. They could travel a shorter distance to a tavern, restaurant, bowling alley or cardroom where they would find a cluster of flashy new electronic gambling devices.

His vision, if that is the right term, is to reduce the state property tax and pay for the resulting budgetary slam on public schools by doubling the number of electronic gaming machines in Washington."

Get the Story:
Joni Balter: Eyman's new tax-cut scheme is too much of a gamble (The Seattle Times 4/15)

Editorial: Oppose expansion of gaming in Minnesota

"Our position on whether Minnesota should expand gambling remains unchanged. It should not. The proposals from the state Legislature are half-baked attempts at easy money, with little concern for long-term consequence. Too many recent budget solutions already in place were built on shifting sands — fund transfers, borrowing, cuts to human services and the spending down of the state tobacco endowment. We don't want to add an iffy gambling scheme to the list of onetime financial Band-Aids. The Legislature and governor can do better."

Get the Story:
GAMBLING IN MINNESOTA: Expanding gaming isn't good remedy (The St. Paul Pioneer Press 4/13)

Opinion: Video lottery would end Kickapoo casino

"As the state's large cities prospered in the 1990s and many small, remote Texas towns struggled, Eagle Pass – one of the most remote – found an economic advantage: gambling.

In 1996, the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino opened and transformed the economic fortunes of a poor, isolated community 148 miles down a two-lane road from the nearest large city, San Antonio.

The casino now is the area's No. 1 tourist attraction, drawing 7,000 visitors a week. It is the county's second-largest employer, with 300 full-time jobs.

But a new state proposal would endanger the future of the modest casino and, with it, the economic lifeblood of a community, already one of the poorest in the state."

Get the Story:
Jose Aranda: Racetrack slots will hurt tribe (The Dallas Morning News 4/12)

Kickapoo Chair: Video lottery threatens our tribe

"Hope has returned to the Kickapoo people.

Our youth go to school. Our people receive proper health care. Our roofs keep us dry.

We hunt deer once again.

That relative prosperity -- to see our mobile homes and dusty streets, you might not say we are prosperous by big city standards -- did not come easily. Just 20 years ago, our tribe was huddled underneath the international bridge in Eagle Pass with nowhere else to go. We drank water from a single spigot.

Hope came from a casino. Now, we fear, a new state proposal to expand gambling across the state could reverse our long strides out of poverty."

Get the Story:
Juan Garza: Playing games with Kickapoo hopes (The Houston Chronicle 4/10)

Editorial: Tread softly on gaming initiatives

"The cardroom/race track initiative is one of two attempting to qualify for the November ballot. The other is promoted by the Agua Caliente tribe in the Palm Springs area, offering to give the state some of its casino profits in exchange for the right to expand its gambling operations beyond limits established in the 20-year compacts signed a few years ago. The tribe is seeking a 99-year deal.

Both of these possible ballot measures provoke one to ask whether California really needs more gambling. If card rooms, horse racing tracks and tribal casinos expand at the rate already allowed by existing law and compacts, gambling operations will soon bring in more revenue in California than in Nevada."

Get the Story:
California, gambling and the future (The Santa Maria Times 4/2)

Opinion: Wyandotte casino drew people downtown

"Twice a week for the last seven months, 27-year-old Tonya Flagg has put $20 in her pocket, hopped on her bike and pedaled three blocks to the 7th Street Casino in downtown Kansas City, Kan.

On Friday, the day after Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline announced that he had the right to shut down the casino, Flagg lamented the loss of what, for her, has become a marginally profitable source of entertainment.

“I was so mad,” she said of when she first heard about the closing. “I said, ‘You ain't closing that casino. I got Indian in me.'”"

Get the Story:
Mark Wiebe: Casino is no Vegas palace, but it draws some people downtown (The Kansas City Star 3/31)
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Opinion: Not all tribes hit jackpot with gaming

"The Star Tribune editorial, "Gambling mania: Try for win-win with tribes" (March 21), rightly points out that gaming is one of the few economic development tools that has worked on the reservation and has benefited Indians and non-Indians alike. However, the newspaper's implied vision of a gaming utopia where the state and all Native Americans draw direct benefits from casinos is unrealistic and based on a false assumption that all Indians are the same.

The newspaper fails to recognize that each tribe is a distinct, sovereign government responsible for its own community's wellbeing. Every tribe has different needs and resources to meet those needs. Some are blessed with substantial land and natural resources. Others have successful businesses. Some have almost nothing."

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Doreen Hagen: Not all tribes can benefit from gaming (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/26)
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Column: State should not rely on gaming revenues

"How ironic that foes of a full-fledged casino here must depend so heavily on the campaign being waged by Lincoln Park, the dog track that is a forest of state-sponsored video slot machines, much the same as you'd find at Foxwoods.

Lincoln buys ads, does a poll and works to undercut the Narragansett Indians and their Harrah's backers in the tribe's drive for a West Warwick casino. (Newport Grand, also home to video slots, fights a casino too, but Lincoln is more visible.)

Log onto the Orwellian-named www.itsnogamble.com, and see "How Lincoln Park Helps Rhode Island." It says Lincoln Park "contributed nearly $700 million to the state's budget in the last decade." Revenue from the track "allows essential programs to serve the critical needs of Rhode Islanders while saving them millions of dollars that might othewise be taken from their own pockets." (Um, from whose pockets did the track get the money?)"

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Casino debate: Looking for the good guys (The Providence Journal 3/25)
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Editorial: Minn. tribes under state threat again

Tribes in Minnesota should "seize" the opportunity to renegotiate their gaming compacts even as state Republicans threaten to approve non-Indian gaming, The Minneapolis Star Tribune says in an editorial.

The paper says a racino is a bad idea for the state. "Saying yes to racino means saying yes to Republican political friends at the expense of Indian casinos, and also to the exclusion of more lucrative options. It's a win-lose plan," the paper says.

But new compacts can be made to improve the "economic betterment of Indian people -- all of them," the paper says, referring to remote tribes that have not seen all the benefits of gaming. The compacts could allow more gaming and ensure tribal exclusivity in exchange for sharing revenues with the state, the paper says.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Gambling mania/Try for win-win with tribes (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/21)
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Opinion: Tribal casinos should give more to state

"Minnesota was one of the first states to negotiate tribal gambling compacts. Compared with other states, our negotiators did a poor job. There are only three states with compacts that have no revenue sharing and no expiration dates, and that have no other competitive casinos. Minnesota is by far the largest of them. If Minnesota had a revenue sharing arrangement like Connecticut, the No. 1 tribal gambling state, our state would likely receive more than $300 million per year.

The enormous increase in tribal casino gambling has been a mixed blessing. For some tribes, it has brought about great material prosperity. We are happy for the prosperity and new jobs that many tribal members are enjoying. However, the two largest tribes, Red Lake and White Earth, remain impoverished. Meanwhile, numerous other Minnesotans, both tribal members and others, have become gambling addicts. And the additional costs to all taxpayers of law enforcement, transportation and social services have been enormous. Some studies indicate that the social costs of gambling outweigh its benefits 2-1."

Get the Story:
Jim Knoblach and Tom Neuville: State within its rights to seek new agreement with tribes (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/21)
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Opinion: Indian gaming achievements ignored

"One of the truly tremendous economic success stories in our state's modern history has been largely ignored. When the state entered into agreements with Minnesota's tribes nearly 15 years ago, a great deal of attention focused on the state's potential financial interest in horse racing and the state lottery.

Few observers gave a second thought to the other side of the bargain struck between the state and the tribes -- the economic potential for casinos on Indian reservations. As it turned out, the deal allowing the establishment of casinos that came out of the tribal gaming compacts has proven to be highly successful for most tribes and many other Minnesotans as well."

Get the Story:
Becky Lourey: Let's celebrate success brought by tribal gaming compacts (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/21)
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GOP Lawmaker: I wasn't out to break state's promise

A Republican lawmaker who introduced a bill that threatened to make slot machines illegal for tribes explains his thinking in a Minneapolis Star Tribune column.

Sen. Thomas Neuville says he and Rep. Jim Knoblach, also a Republican, weren't trying to renege on compacts already negotiated with tribes. "What we are proposing is to exercise the rights we retained when the compacts were negotiated," he says.

Neuville believes the compacts allow the state to ban slot machines. "Few realized the state had this option, though if passed the bill would likely be tied up in court for years," he says.

Thousands of tribal members and their supporters rallied against the bill last week. The lawmakers ended up dropping their bill.

Get the Story:
Sen. Thomas Neuville: Bill aims to retool casino deals (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/17)
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Editorial: Casino company gift 'fit for a king'

"New York Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, traveling in Las Vegas with his wife, must have been mortified when it turned out their hotel meal was one they couldn't eat. Silver is an Orthodox Jew, and the kitchen of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel doesn't keep kosher. Hard to imagine, however, that the lawmaker did much bellyaching.

According to a random audit of gaming outfit Caesars Entertainment's lobbying activity, conducted by the state Lobbying Commission, the powerful lawmaker and his wife paid just $109 a night for a two-night stay in the elegant, $1,500-a-night Paris, whose parent company, Caesars, is vying for a portal into New York's growing gambling trade."

Get the Story:
Fit for a king (The Journal News 3/17)
This tip led to a lobbying probe (The Albany Times-Union 3/17)

Editorial: Seminole Tribe's 'culture of cronyism'

"Nothing better illustrates the excess of gambling than the way Florida Seminole tribal leaders have poured through their casino profits. Tribal leaders spent tens of millions of dollars in recent years, frittering away much of the money on cars, vacations and lavish gifts at the expense of legitimate tribal needs. Now, after too long a wait, the federal government is finally putting on the brakes, giving the tribe the option of cleaning up its act or risk losing the lucrative casinos. This is an appropriate use of regulatory power. Seminole leaders have a responsibility to the tribe and to the larger society on which gambling prey."

Get the Story:
Casino-profit cleanup (The St. Petersburg Times 3/9)

Opinion: Equal rights for the Narragansett Tribe

"In this time of celebrating diversity and equal rights for all, I cannot help but feel a growing frustration towards the governor’s recent public opposition to a Narragansett Indian casino. I grow more disappointed and angry with certain Rhode Island politicians who still choose to ignore the unique past and recent history of the Narragansett Indian tribe, a group of people who, like African-Americans, have historically fallen victim to discrimination and disparate treatment.

Why have many Rhode Islanders forgotten how their English ancestors warred with a people who helped many colonists survive in a foreign world? Why does there appear to be no remorse for stripping a native people of their land, throwing tribal members into indentured servitude and then illegally abolishing the tribe’s very existence?"

Get the Story:
Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas: Narragansetts deserve their dream (The Woonsocket Call 3/2)

Opinion: Okla. tribes scoring big with gaming centers

"Oklahoma tribes looking for a quick way to generate income have come up with a very impressive answer. They not only are scoring big with their gaming centers, they also are making other retail investments, including a hotel and plans for a golf course near the Tulsa casino.

The implications of this huge push in Oklahoma are obvious. Texas now is surrounded by three states with major gambling casinos. And all admit that dollars from the Lone Star State help fuel much of the profits.

The temptation will be strong for this state to get in on the act. But it is a temptation that Texas should resist."

Get the Story:
Henry Tatum: Neighboring states shouldn't spark Texas gamble (The Dallas Morning News 2/26)
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Ernie Stevens: Tribes already sharing with states

Ed. Note: The following opinion was written in response to a Providence Journal editorial that called on tribes to share gaming revenues with states.

"Tribal-government gaming generates some $5 billion annually in federal taxes and revenue savings, through increased income and employee-payroll tax receipts, and reduced welfare and unemployment payments. This year, tribal-government gaming will generate about $1.5 billion in state revenue, through payroll and income taxes and revenue-sharing agreements. At the local level, Indian tribes generate well over $50 million annually for local governments. And each year, Indian tribes donate more than $70 million to local and national charities.

In California during the past three years -- while the rest of the state has been in economic decline -- tribal governments have ranked above all other California employers in job growth, registering a 14.8-percent increase in employment for the year ending in June 2003. Tribal-government gaming in California has created nearly 50,000 jobs in that state.

This is all in addition to the revenues gained by local businesses that provide goods and services to the tribe, and the benefits that a gaming facility brings to local hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. Tribes are good neighbors, having proven that they will work with local communities to ensure that everyone benefits."

Get the Story:
Ernest L. Stevens Jr.: Casino gambling -- Indians help spread wealth to states (The Providence Journal 2/21)
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Editorial: Ho-Chunk Nation's 'political incompetence'

The Ho-Chunk Nation exhibited "compulsive political incompetence" in their push to convert a bingo hall into a casino, The Wisconsin State Journal says in an editorial.

A day after saying there is "no sound reason" to stop tribes from expanding gaming, the paper blames the tribe for turning off voters. "Tribal leaders didn't understand that too many in Madison are unexplainably suspicious of wealth, not impressed by it," the paper says. "Then the tribe pummeled residents with an extravagant and misleading million-dollar ad campaign."

Voters in Dane County rejected the casino by 64 percent.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Gamblers always lose (The Wisconsin State Journal 2/18)