The North Fork Rancheria plans to open an casino on a 305-acre site near the city of Madera. But the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians -- whose casinos are more than 300 miles away in southern California -- say the deal sets a bad precedent for off-reservation gaming.
“Ratification of these particular compacts would not be just and would neither serve the interests of a majority of Indian tribes nor a majority of Californians,” Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro said in a letter, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. As part of the compact, the North Fork Rancheria will share revenues with the state. The Wiyot Tribe will receive up to 3.5 percent of those revenues under a separate compact in which the tribe agreed not to open a casino on its reservation. Get the Story:Some Inland tribes oppose pact (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/2)
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