Coeur d'Alene Tribe open to arbitration for disputed poker game


The Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Idaho. Photo from Facebook

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is open to arbitration with the state of Idaho over a disputed poker game, a spokesperson said.

The tribe opened a poker room at the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort on May 2. The state filed a lawsuit that same day after sending a letter of alleged non-compliance with the Class III gaming compact on May 1.

By sending the letter, the state started a process that can only lead to arbitration, a federal judge ruled this week. The tribe had made that point in a response that was made outside of the court process.

"[I]t is the aggrieved party who should be involving arbitration," Heather Keen, the tribe's director of public relations, told The Coeur d'Alene Press.

The state hasn't decided how to respond to the ruling, a spokesperson for office of the Idaho Attorney General told the paper.

Get the Story:
Tribe keeps poker, for now (The Coeur d'Alene Press 6/25)
Is Texas Hold 'em a game of chance or skill? An Ada County judge says Idaho law is too vague to make call (The Idaho Statesman 6/25)

District Court Decision:
Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe (June 23, 2014)

Related Stories
Coeur d'Alene Tribe blames Idaho for violating casino compact (6/24)

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