Column: Obama's administration loosens rules for tribal casinos

Monday, July 16, 2012  

"President Barack Obama has gone out of his way to try to make amends for America's history of genocidal treatment of Indians.

That's understandable, morally and politically. In this election year, Obama will need all the help he can get. So far, however, tribes that have accumulated wealth from their casinos have not come to his aid, though that could change.

Some tribes, and some of Obama's allies, notably Sen. Dianne Feinstein, are alarmed by administration decisions that could lead to more Indian-owned casinos.

California is a very different place than Obama's state of Illinois, which has no recognized tribes. California has 109 tribes and 67 Indian-owned casinos.

"Enough is enough," Feinstein, no fan of gambling, told me. "Sixty casinos, it seems to me, is enough, more than enough.""

Get the Story:
Dan Morain: Obama's policies help Indians, but payback is iffy (The Sacramento Bee 7/15)

Off-reservation casino fear mostly unrealized despite policy shift (7/6)