Arizona
Ernie Stevens Jr., a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, was recently re-elected as chair of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA). The election was held during the Association’s annual meeting and trade show in Phoenix last month. Stevens immediately began serving his fourth consecutive term as NIGA’s chair. “I am honored and humbled to be re-elected as chairman of this great organization,” said Stevens. “During the next two years, I pledge to continue upholding the mission of NIGA and of tribal sovereignty, in general. The past two years have been challenging ones for all of us in terms of our legislative battles. We will continue to persevere and protect with our proactive agenda, yet we will always be ready to mobilize Indian Country in order to defend tribal sovereignty.” NIGA also re-elected Lynn “Nay” Valbuena, a member of California’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, as the secretary of NIGA’s executive committee. This will be Valbuena’s sixth term.
California
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians broke ground on a major development project at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. The project will include a hotel/spa, and will begin with a four-story parking garage. The economic impact will be widespread, from construction labor to staffing once the hotel opens. The approximately 200-room hotel is designed be to rated four stars, and will include a pool, recreation area, spa, covered cabanas, health spa, convention center, and restaurants. The project will come in phases, the first of which is a 1,245-space parking garage, as the hotel construction would otherwise limit guest parking. Construction of the parking garage has begun, with completion expected in 12 to 14 months. Hotel/spa groundbreaking will follow shortly thereafter. WorthGroup is developing the project.
Kansas
Harrah’s Kansas Casino Corporation, a subsidiary of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., will transfer management of the Harrah’s Prairie Band Casino to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation July 1, 2007. This transfer, announced in mid-2005, will be six months earlier than scheduled. “We have long understood and supported the Nation’s ultimate goal for self-management of Harrah’s Prairie Band Casino,” said Carlos Tolosa, president of Harrah’s eastern region. “We believe the tribe is well prepared for this transition. Harrah’s is proud to have worked with the nation in building a successful business, and we’re confident their resort will continue to thrive for years to come.”
Massachusetts
Massachusetts may be home to a new casino—whether it likes it or not. A newly recognized Indian Tribe, the Mashpee Wampanoag, is arguing it can open a resort-style casino with Class II gaming without state approval. In Massachusetts, the law allows bingo and charitable table games; federal Indian Gaming laws give tribes the right to offer whatever level of gambling individual states allow. If lawmakers continue to oppose, the tribe believes it can move forward with a project anyway, following the example of the Seminole Tribe in Florida, although tribal leaders would reportedly rather negotiate a deal with Gov. Deval Patrick to open a casino with Class III machines. The tribe is actively looking for more than 300 acres in southeastern Massachusetts and aims to have a tentative site by late this month, but reportedly does not plan to move further ahead with anything yet. If they did, the Bureau of Indian Affairs would have to approve the land and put it into a trust, which could take as long as three years—leaving plenty of time for negotiation with the state.
Ohio
The state has rejected an Ohio tribe’s lawsuit. The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma filed the land-claim suit, which could have resulted in the construction of casinos across the state. The tribe’s goal was to reclaim land, put it into a trust, and then build resort-style casinos. U.S. District Court Judge James G. Carr declined to sign off on the deals between the tribe and the land owners because he thought approving them “could be perceived as accepting and endorsing the proposition that the settlements resolve ‘land claims’ under the (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act).” The tribe had hoped to build as many as eight casinos.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Legislature may limit off-reservation casino proposals, and snag plans for a tribal casino in Kenosha. The Menominee Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin has a $808 million casino project in the works for Dairyland Greyhound Park. County residents and the regional Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) have already approved the project. It still needs to clear BIA headquarters and Gov. Jim Doyle, unless Assembly Bill 205 makes all off-reservation casino proposals subject to a vote by state lawmakers. Several Milwaukee-based community groups support the bill, as do the Forest County Potawatomi, who argue profits from the Menominee casino would leave the state. (The Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut would finance the project and manage the casino for the first seven years). The Menominee counter that the majority of state residents support their project. To further the controversy, federal officials have indicted a former project partner, Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha, for allegedly making illegal contributions to Gov. Doyle’s campaign.