Indian Gaming > Chemehuevi Tribe opposes reservation shopping

July 04, 2006

Chemehuevi Tribe opposes reservation shopping

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The Chemehuevi Tribe of California is accusing two other tribes of reservation shopping.

The Chemehuevi Tribe wants to open a casino in Barstow. Chairman Charles Wood says the tribe has ancestral ties to the area.

Two other tribes do not, Wood says. They are the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians and the Big Lagoon Rancheria, whose deal for side-by-side casinos in Barstow was voted down by state lawmakers last week.

Wood says the development is an opening for his tribe to pursue its plans. "I think it's conceivable, given the amount of traffic on Interstate 15, that the city could support two, even three casinos," Wood tells The Las Vegas Review Journal. "But what we don't believe is other tribes without any ties to this community should be allowed."

Barstow is about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Get the Story:
Tribal leader cites ancestral ties (The Las Vegas Review Journal 7/4)