Tribal Gaming In The News

Couple of interesting articles on Tribal Gaming.

indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com ndian Gaming Reform: What Is Congress Plotting, and How Will SCIA Chair Jon Tester Respond?

By Rob Capriccioso 7/28/14

Excerpt:

Allegations of lies by a tribal government about an off-reservation casino, competing Indian interests in many states, flat earnings and the responsibility of regulators were all topics of discussion during the latter hearing, which was originally intended to showcase the success stories of IGRA and to seek out ways for more tribal victories.

Read Full Article Here ->indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com ndian Gaming Reform: What Is Congress Plotting, and How Will SCIA Chair Jon Tester Respond?

Also:

indianz.com NIGC reports 'stable' growth in $28B tribal gaming industry

Excerpt:

Tribal casinos took in $28 billion in revenues in 2013, the National Indian Gaming Commission reported on Monday.

The figure represents just a 0.5 percent gain in revenues from 2012. But NIGC officials said the industry has been growing steadily for the past four years after seeing a slump in 2009 during the national economic recession.

“In 2013, the Indian gaming industry saw the growth of its gross gaming revenues for the fourth consecutive year,” NIGC Vice Chair Jonodev Chaudhuri said in a press release. “This stable, positive trajectory underscores the ongoing significance of Indian gaming to larger tribal nation building and self-determination efforts.”

***WARNING*** 

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Online Gambling Legal For Indian Tribes?

Apparently some legal analysis is already starting to trickle down with the theory that online gambling conducted by Indian Tribes on reservation land may be legal.  The theory to my knowledge has not been tested in the court of law.  Of course, there is also the issue if they are referring to State Law or Federal Law.  In the article below it seems Owens is only referring to State Law.  There is also the issue of Federal Law and the transfer of money across State and International Borders.

Just to review briefly Iipay Tribe of Santa Ysabel has decided to move forward with their online poker site called privatetable.com which appears to already be operating.

In The News:

pokerupdate.com PrivateTable.com Poker Site Deemed Legal

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Despite the large debates surrounding the launch of PrivateTable.com, the site has been backed by several leading legal gambling authorities who believe that the site is operating completely within state law. Comments from attorney Martin Owens suggest that the site has done nothing to breach gambling laws and marks a step forward into bringing in some regulated gambling practices across the state.
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The issues were swept aside by Owens, who made a statement declaring that “If an Indian tribe has land of its own and wants to offer Class 2 gambling, they don’t have to consult state law at all.” A Class 2 license allows native tribes to operate basic gambling services such as poker on their lands and the Santa Ysabel nation currently holds a Class 3 license, giving them full rights to operate banked gaming services.


Read More Here --> pokerupdate.com PrivateTable.com Poker Site Deemed Legal


***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Pala Interactive In the News

This is a long article but worth the read.  I will post a small excerpt here.  Please click the link and read the whole article if this interests you.

4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene

by Haley Hintze on July 15, 2014

Excerpt:

It’s interesting to note, however, that lawyers for the Pechanga-led coalition now trying to push through SB1366 and AB2291 did a flip-flop on this very same issue within the past three years, just in time to craft a favorable viewpoint favoring their tribal-only legislative efforts.  These same tribes declared a few years that online poker couldn’t be regulated via state-level compact because it was Class II, not Class III, then simply switched their collective interpretation when popular support for the regulation of California online poker began to grow.

If it sounds like hypocrisy, well, it is.

There’s also the question of some of these news reports quickly slapping a “rogue” label on the Santa Ysabels while utterly ignoring some of the other already established business connections.  The Pala tribe, one of the major components of the Pechanga-led faction, has already created a new entity called Pala Interactive, in which it partners with former Excapsa (UltimateBet) CEO James Ryan.  Pala Interactive also has some shared rights to the extant UB software, which means that years after UB itself failed amid scandal and tens of millions of dollars of internal theft and fraud, the old UB software could reemerge again, via Pala Interactive.

One could also note that the Pala tribe itself is also mired in major legal controversy over the forced disenfranchising of hundreds of former tribal members, many of whom are political opponents of the group currently in power.  The net effect is to distribute the massive proceeds from the Palas’ profitable gaming operations to a smaller group of official tribal members.

It’s hard to look at the sum of what the Pala nation would bring to online poker, and not toss in the word “rogue” somewhere.  Even if it doesn’t have quite the same meaning.

Read Full Article Here--> 4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Santa Ysabel Moving Forward With Online Poker

parttimepoker.com - Santa Ysabel Tribe in California Launches Online Poker Site PrivateTable.com

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Why is this significant

The significance is two-fold. First, the obvious significance is for players in California as they may have a new, more trustworthy place to play.

For the rest of us, the significance lies in the precedent being set. Other tribes across the U.S will be watching what Santa Ysabel does with PrivateTable.com and will make decisions based on the results. Other tribes have, and absolutely still are, weighing the possibility of operating a Class II online poker site under their sovereign rights. Santa Ysabel is uniquely position to call out ‘first’ on this one for two key reasons:

•They don’t have much to lose. Santa Ysabel closed their land-based casino in February. If they are proven to be wrong regarding the legality of operating an online poker site as a tribe, they have no significant underlying business that can be harmed.

•They are in California, considered to be the gold mine for online gaming due to population and demographics. There is actual money to be made.

Read More Here -->parttimepoker.com - Santa Ysabel Tribe in California Launches Online Poker Site PrivateTable.com

Much More:

Santa Ysabel Interactive PrivateTable.com

4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene
by Haley Hintze on July 15, 2014

This week’s announcement by the cash-strapped Santa Ysabel tribal nation of an imminent rollout of real-money online poker for Californians, despite no formal state regulation, has added an interesting new twist to the neverending saga of the attempts to introduce and regulate the online game in the Golden State.  Whether or not the Santa Ysabels — also known as the Iipay Nation — move forward with their plans remains to be seen.

What’s for sure, however, is that an already-tipsy legislative apple cart in California’s state capital of Sacramento now has another element in play.  Regardless of the Santa Ysabels nation’s small financial size, the question now posed is a doozy: Do United States-based tribal nations even need federal or state approval to offer online poker, if they’ve already been cleared via the Department of the Interior to offer gambling on their own tribal lands?

Read More Here-->4flush.com - Santa Ysabel Gambit Complicates California Online Poker Scene

4flush.com - Online Poker Site Launched in California by Stand-Alone Tribe

onlinepokerreport.com - Bill or No Bill, Santa Ysabel Tribe To Push Forward With Online Poker in California

casino.org - California Tribe Claims Sovereignty, Launches Online Poker Site

1989 - American Indian Activist Russell Means testifies at Senate Hearing

 

 

 

Also in the news:

 

 

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com - Rick Cuevas : A Rebuttal to Duane Champagne's Recent Piece on Disenrollment 

Online Gambling News

compatiblepoker.com Amaya Plans Extensive Expansion of PokerStars

By Renee K on Thursday, July 10th, 2014
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Asked about the problems that PokerStars has faced until now by trying to enter the regulated US gambling market, Baazov said that one of the terms of the deal with Amaya was that PokerStars founder Mark Scheinberg and other principals would sell their stock in the company and would no longer be involved in managerial decisions.  Baazov believes that this will give PokerStars a clean slate and allow it to expand in the United States and other regulated jurisdictions around the world.

Read More Here -->compatiblepoker.com Amaya Plans Extensive Expansion of PokerStars


casinocitytimes.com - California Indian casino built and managed by Station Casinos rising to top of class

8 July 2014
By Howard Stutz
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But one analyst hinted recently the Indian casino — which was built by Station Casinos, Inc. and is being operated by the locals gaming giant — is quickly rising to the top of the class in tribal gaming-rich California.

The casino cost $800 million and is owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The property, 45 minutes north of downtown San Francisco, took 10 years to get through the various federal and state regulatory approvals.
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In the quarter that ended March 31, Graton generated $101 million in revenue and $57 million, cash flow. Station Casinos earned $7.4 million in management fees.

Credit Suisse gaming analyst Joel Simkins told investors the Graton numbers make the resort one of the most profitable and highest margin regional casinos around.
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Graton also has a potential advantage should California legalize Internet poker.

The casino can partner with Station Casinos-owned Ultimate Gaming. The company operates Ultimate Poker in Nevada and is the online gaming provider for the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
Read More Here--> casinocitytimes.com - California Indian casino built and managed by Station Casinos rising to top of class

Also:

politico.com Adelson makes fifth new hire to fight online gaming

vegasinc.com Online gaming hasn’t lived up to its hype

totallygaming.com Political heavyweights to discuss pros and cons of internet gambling in San Francisco

June 1 1931 Letter From C.L. Ellis to Fred Baker

1931 June 1 Letter Stating Salvadora Valenzuela Could Not Execute Affidavits

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Paskenta Elections To Settle Dispute

Article Excerpts:

http://www.modbee.com Warring factions in Corning casino tribe agree to election to settle dispute

BY STEPHEN MAGAGNINI

After weeks of armed standoffs, cyber attacks, allegations of multimillion-dollar theft and legal battles over who controls the tribe’s $100 million-a-year casino, warring factions of the Paskenta band of Nomlaki Indians in Tehama County have agreed to a binding general election to settle their dispute.

A federal judge in Sacramento signed off Monday on the landmark agreement, which came after a marathon three-day mediation that included 12 consecutive hours of negotiations at one stretch, said Andy Freeman, who is recognized as tribal chair by both factions. “The mediation went well. It gave us the opportunity to talk to each other and see both sides,” Freeman said. “The bottom line is the whole tribe needs to talk.”

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The dispute centered on allegations by Freeman and other council members that Tribal Economic Development Director John Crosby, a former FBI agent, misappropriated $1.4 million from tribal accounts to pay for his house, swimming pool, basketball court and remodeling work, along with several cars and $209,000 worth of gold. Tribal Treasurer Leslie Lohse, one of the ousted council members, was accused of embezzling money and misusing the tribe’s jet to attend her son Kyle’s professional baseball games.

Freeman produced canceled checks to support his allegations of wrongdoing. Crosby and Lohse, in turn, supplied employment contracts indicating they were each granted $5 million lines of credit “to either be paid forgiven or extended” after 2020 if they negotiated a new gambling compact with the state. Both said they’ve acted in the tribe’s best interests.

Read Full Article Here -->http://www.modbee.com Warring factions in Corning casino tribe agree to election to settle dispute 

Leslie Lohse is Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA).  Robert Smith is CTBA's Treasurer.  Pala is one of the Three Tribes that make up the California Tribal Business Alliance along with Paskenta and Viejas.


***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

Court of Claims Register

16 Mar 1935 John Dady

Court of Claims Roll Modified Dady.com

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

1925 Pala Census

1925 Pala Census

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.

California Continues With Its Push to Keep Guns Out of Paskenta Dispute

redbluffdailynews.com State seeks to keep guns away from Rolling Hills Casino

RED BLUFF >> The State of California on Monday filed a request in federal court for a preliminary injunction against the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians that essentially maintains the status quo of the temporary restraining order previously issued by a federal judge that has kept armed security forces away from Rolling Hills Casino in Corning.
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Excerpt:

Ousted members led by tribal Vice Chairman David Swearinger, treasurer Leslie Lohse, secretary Geraldine Freeman and member-at-large Allen Swearinger have previously said that shutting down the casino would bring a speedy resolution to the tribal dispute.

Members of the tribe led by Chairman Andrew Freeman, Vice Chairwoman Latisha Miller, treasurer Ambrosia Rico, secretary Andrew Alejandre and member-at-large Natasha Magana argue that shutting down the casino would put its employees out of work and "devastate the local economy," according to the state's preliminary injunction request filed Monday.

The preliminary injunction request seeks to keep the casino operating as it currently does, and keep firearms and armed personnel away from the tribe's properties.

Read Full Article Here --> redbluffdailynews.com State seeks to keep guns away from Rolling Hills Casino

Leslie Lohse is Chair of the California Tribal Business Alliance (CTBA).  Robert Smith is CTBA's Treasurer.  Pala is one of the Three Tribes that make up the California Tribal Business Alliance along with Paskenta and Viejas.

***WARNING***

Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, is monitoring your comments.  He is going to track your IP address and "take action" against any tribal member posting comments he does not like.