Opinion: Odds on Salinan casino not very good

Monday, July 13, 2009  

"The rumor scurries into town every few years, old-timers say, and it’s back again, lurking this time in that cauldron of get-rich-quick schemes so expertly stirred by our impressive local army of scam artists and swindlers.

Sorry, I mean alleged swindlers.

The rumor: An Indian casino is headed for the currently casino-less San Luis Obispo County.

The cauldron: An allegation in the bankruptcy case of Kelly Gearhart that mentions such an effort by the Salinan tribe.

I’m not going to get into the allegations. I leave that to my colleague Melanie Cleveland, whose reporting over the past year about Gearhart, Hurst Financial and other “entrepreneurs” has peeled the skin off a hair-raising series of putrid economic enterprises.

My purpose here is to explore what my chances are of winning some money at the tables in this county.

The answer: Not very good.

Even if the Salinans had had a reliable sugar daddy to back their efforts, as they erroneously believed they had with Gearhart, a casino might never have come to pass.

Not to discourage folks whose right arms are twitching with the desire to pull down on a slot machine, but starting a casino is no easy matter."

Get the Story:
Bob Cuddy: Long odds in short term for casino (The San Luis Obispo Tribune 7/11)

Another Story:
Kelly Gearhart accused of diverting $1 million to Salinan Indian casino effort (The San Luis Obispo Tribune 7/10