Robert Smith Seeks to Amend Pala's Constitution

    In a draft proposed amendment circulated on 9/14/22 Robert Smith is seeking to alter Pala's Constitution with respect to Pala's membership.  Particularly alarming is the language that reads "Membership in another tribe shall include actual membership in the tribe (such as inclusion on that tribe’s membership rolls) as well as an affirmative claim by the individual that he/she is a member of that tribe."

    This language should ring the alarm bells of the people at Pala.  First of all it is no longer clear who or what the "Pala Band" is.  Prior to 1903 the Luiseno living at Pala had their own reservation.  They are often referred to as "Old Pala" and are federally recognized as the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation.  In 1903 several tribes were forcibly relocated to Pala on land bought that is adjacent to the Old Pala Reservation.  These tribes include the Cupeno, Ipay (Digueno), and other various Indians such as Cahuilla and Yacqui. 

    In the 1960's an association was formed between all the tribes and Indians living at Pala so that economic development could be pursued.  All of these tribes and groups together became known as the Pala Band of Mission Indians.  However by 1978 the only tribe that was Federally Recognized was the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians.  This is evident by the fact that all the initial paperwork filed for the development of the casino at Pala was done under the name Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation.

    In 2015 the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians changed their name to the Pala Band of Mission Indians.  If this amendment passes what happens to everyone else with respect to membership?  It is not uncommon to see people at Pala wearing Cupeno T-Shirts.  Is this enough to get them disenrolled?  People at Pala are of mixed ancestry.  It is not uncommon for someone to say "my Grandfather was Yaqui and my Grandmother Cupeno".  If Robert Smith overhears this can he then seek to disenroll people who make an "affirmative claim" about their ancestry?  Are people no longer going to be able to say "I am Luiseno and Cupeno" or "I am Cahuilla and Iipay"?  If this amendment passes will you then only be able to say "I am a Pala Band Member"?  What happens to our heritage?  What is a "Pala Band Member"?

    It should also be mentioned that tribal rolls are strictly confidential.  How Robert Smith intends to obtain the membership rolls of other tribes so he can cross-check them against the "Pala Band's" membership is not understood.

    Another issue with respect to Constitutional Amendments is that an Election has to be held for the specific purpose of amending the Constitution.  In an election to amend the Constitution at least 1/2 of the eligible members need to vote and 2/3 of that vote needs to be cast in favor of amending the Constitution.  Pala has not had a legitimate election in over 20 years.  It is doubtful this time around they will follow their own election rules spelled out in the Constitution with respect to Constitutional Amendments.

Robert Smith's Proposed Pala Constitutional Amendment

Draft 09/14/22 

ARTICLE Il- MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.    MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

A             The membership of the Pala Band shall consist of Those persons whose names appear on the Pala Allotment Roll as approved by the Secretary of the Interior on April 12, 1895, and November 38, 19135, who were living on the date of approval of the Pala Band’s original Articles of Association by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs (the “Allotment Rolls”); the Enrollment Rolls of November 3, 1913, November 26, 1961, and January 15, 1978, and the current Enrollment Roll of the Pala Band.

B             All living descendants of persons on the Allotment Rolls covered in Section (1A)

above regardless of whether the original allottees are ancestor is living or deceased, shall be eligible for membership in the Pala Band, provided that they are direct lineal descendants and have one-sixteenth (1/16) or more degree of Indian blood of the Pala Band.

C             Those persons who have been adopted by the Pala Band shall be members of the Pala Band, provided that and such adoption has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Section 2.             MEMBERSHIP ROLL

The Executive Committee shall keep the membership roll current annually by striking

therefrom the names of persons who have relinquished in writing their membership in the Pala Band

and of deceased mMembers upon receipt of a death certificate or other evidence of death, arid by

adding the names of children born to members who meet the membership requirements.

Section 3.             MEMBERSHIP IN OTHER TRIBES OR BANDS

No person may be a member of the Pala Band Member who is a member of any other Indian tribe that: is federally recognized, claims to be federally recognized, or is seeking federal recognition; or is state recognized. Indian tribe or band.  Membership in another tribe shall include actual membership in the tribe (such as inclusion on that tribe’s membership rolls) as well as an affirmative claim by the individual that he/she is a member of that tribe.  Should a member of the Pala Band Member in any other tTribe or Band, he/she shall immediately notify the Pala Band ofsuch other enrollment.  Enrollment in another Indian tribe shall result in immediate and his/her membership in the Pala Band will be deemed to have been relinquishmented of membership in the Pala Band effective on as of the date of enrollment in the other Tribe or Band regardless of whether or not the required notice is given.

If a member of another tribe or Band is eligible for enrollment in the Pala Band and applies for membership in the Pala Band, that person individual must relinquish his/her membership in the other tTribe or Band prior to being added to the membership rolls of the Pala Band and must present the Pala Band with evidence satisfactory to the Pala Band of having done so. Should a member of the Pala Band enroll in any other Tribe or Band, he shall immediately notify the Pala Band of such other enrollment and his/her membership in the Pala Band will be deemed to have been relinquished effective on the date of enrollment in the other Tribe or Band whether or not the required notice is given.

 

ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS AND EFFECTIVE DATE

 Section. 1      EFFECTIVE DATE

     This Constitution shall become effective immediately after its approval by a majority vote of

the voters voting in a duly-called elections at which this Constitution is approved by the Bureau

of Indian Affairs.

Section 2. FUTURE AMENDMENTS

  This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members of the

Pala Band at an election duly-called for this purpose in which not less than half of the eligible

members of the Pala Band cast their ballots.

 

Pala Interactive In Pennsylvania

PR Newswire - Wind Creek Casino launches Pala Interactive powered Online Gaming Platform in Pennsylvania

Excerpt:

"Pala Interactive is honored to have been selected as Wind Creek's technology partner," said Pala's CEO Jim Ryan. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the launch of the Wind Creek real money online casino on July 24th.  This launch represents completion of the first phase of a multi-stage real money and social casino plan.  The next phase will be the introduction of the Wind Creek sports betting offering in partnership with BetFred USA Sports and Scientific Games Corporation, expected to launch later this Fall.

Read Full Article At Link Above

Guest Post - So, who is Robert Smith?

*By Guest Blogger

*I was emailed the post below by a guest.  The views expressed in this post are the Guest Author's own.  Whether or not all the alleged activities can be proven with facts will be up to the reader to decide.  Those familiar with Pala will have knowledge of much of this.

Guest Post - So, who is Robert Smith?

The government and fools have chosen to refer to Robert Smith as Honorable. They do so even with the knowledge of his far-ranging criminal activities. They do this either because they are the beneficiaries of his ill-gotten gain or simply admirers of power without regard of it source.

Robert Smith is the grandson of Henry Smith, the son of a German Immigrant who homesteaded lands adjacent to the Mesa Grande Reservation. Henry Smith was a persistent German who pushed the BIA so hard that they finally gave him Indian status as being a quarter Indian from Mesa Grande. He married a Moro woman and had Robert Smith’s father, Victor Smith.

The Moro family was originally from Northern California. Adolpho Moro, who was half Wappo Indian and Spanish, moved to Warner Springs. Adolpho Moro’s real last name is unknown. The name Moro was confused by the census takers with the name Morio which was a prominent Cupeno family of the time. It is how the name Moro came to be in Warner Springs. Domingo Moro was Robert Smith’s other grandfather and who also was without any real ties to the Cupeno tribe.

There was a real confusion as to who the real Cupa people are. They were notably peace loving and sharing. They considered the hot spring, Cupanga, to be sacred and did not engage in its commercialization. They lived along the Agua Caliente Creek where they blended the hot water from the spring with the cool fresh waters of the creek for various purposes.  The adobe village was not part of the true Cupeno village.

Several interlopers settled at Warner Springs in hopes of taking possession of the spring itself and benefiting from the hot spring baths and other tourist trades. These families included the Moros of Northern California, the Garras of Yuma or San Luis, Mexico, the Nolasquez families also of Mexico and the Barkers. Alexander Barker was a white man who married a Cahuilla woman and laid claim to the hot springs.

Domingo Moro filed an Indian Homestead no. 25506 and perfected his homestead in 1908 and therefore becoming a citizen Indian and surrendered his right to any benefits as an Indian person. The homestead is adjacent to the hot springs at Cupa. Domingo later sold the homestead for $20,000. Because of this action none of the heirs of Domingo Moro should have been allowed to participate in any benefits granted Indians.

So, these are some of the historical facts that surround Robert Smith. Most notably is the fact that he has no Cupeno blood. His mother is of San Felipe, a village that was known as a traditional enemy of the Cupeno people.

Is it possible that this tribal enmity survives even to this day? Yes, it is.

It is easy to justify your own wrongdoings when you consider that the acts are intended to harm your adversaries. It was common knowledge that Robert Smith’s mother was a thief and dishonest. She was  a known drug dealer and used her sons to do the same. At one time, the people voted to ban the Smith brothers from ever participating in tribal government. This did not deter Robert Smith from seeking and gaining power within Pala.

He became the Fire Captain of Pala and used his office to intercept information vital to the people of Pala and this his how he began his political ascent. Cal-Mat often ignored the will of the people by making side deals with the Smith family so that they would favor some of the malfeasance at the sand and gravel operation. In exchange they were given money, televisions, VCR’s and other treasures of the day in exchange for their loyalty to Cal-Mat. The Smith family successfully blocked any raise in the royalties owed to the people for more than 10 years resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss to the people of Pala.

Robert Smith, after serving for a short period on the Executive Committee, was elected chairperson of Pala. Although being illiterate, Smith was and can masterfully manipulate people and resources to his complete advantage. He is willing to use any extreme necessary for his own personal benefit, including murder, and without any regard for the people. To him people are disposable and often in the way.

With the election of the Robert Smith as chair, began the criminalization of the Pala Executive Committee. He was often making side deals and if an Executive Committee member opposed him he just kept the deal secret. He stole thousands of dollars from acorn sand and the propane business. He gained complete control over the distribution of illicit drugs within the community, an enterprise which he continues to this day.

He has developed a solid following of loyalists who are dependent upon him for illegal drugs and jobs. This is bolstered even more by family loyalty and therefore giving him an invincible block of votes at meetings and elections. This has given Robert Smith free reign and even worse, complete sovereign power. His sovereign power is respected by the United States, the State of California, local governments, the Courts and without regard for the heinous crimes that he has committed.
So what crimes has Robert Smith committed. He is a known drug dealer. That career almost came to an end when an ATF sweep of known drug dealers resulted in the arrest of 66 people including Robert Smith. The drug ring was suspected in generating moneys for terrorist activities and providing support for terrorists overseas. It is said the Robert Smith avoided prosecution by turning state’s evidence and assisted in the locating of other suspected drug dealers in this operation.

Robert Smith is suspected of either committing or participating in the murder of eight people to include the murder of Rainey Williams and the campground murder. This does not include the murder of his constituent drug users that made the mistake of turning against him. Many would find them themselves victims of intended drug overdoses.

Robert Smith was caught red-handed taking bribes from the wake board project. It was also discovered that he and the treasurer were receiving $10,000 each per month for the race track deal with no benefit to the people.

Robert Smith engages in the daily management of the Pala Casino which is a violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Casino maintains two sets of books. The Black Book contains the accurate record of the Casino earnings and the Green Book is the numbers reported to the people. The Black Book revenues are skimmed and distributed to Robert Smith, Howard Dickstein and others.
The Casino self-banks the atm machines and therefore creates a digital highway to move moneys outside the casino and making them free of the NIGC jurisdiction. These moneys are not reported in the Green Book and the actual location of these transfers is not known to the people.

There are a series of illegal loans taken under the signature of Robert Smith and therefore obligating the people to pay back these loans. No one knows where the moneys go. That is except for Robert Smith.

Rumors of Robert Smith’s illegal activities could fill a book. They are cleverly created and when challenged he simply screams sovereignty through his million-dollar attorneys. It is funny how attorneys are supposed to defend what is right but will often defend what is most money making. Oh yes, the attorneys are paid for by the people of Pala.

There are rumors of pay day type loan businesses which were established through a Montana Reservation contact. This was noted by several private jet flights to Montana. What business does the people of Pala have in Montana?

The Robert Smith “Black Credit Card” is a known commodity by vendors throughout the Temecula and San Diego County regions. The Black Card is the property of the people of Pala and whatever Robert charges on this card is obligated for payment by the people of Pala. If you don’t know what the status of a Black Card is it simply means that he charges any amount to the card without question. Yes, that means that he can charge a million dollars to the card and the people of Pala must pay the bill.

So why is it that the people of Pala remain loyal to Robert Smith? That is not entirely true. There have been wrinkles in Smith’s ascent to power. Former and well-respected chairman King Freeman often opposed Robert Smith. For this Robert Smith disenrolled many of King Freeman’s family and therefore rid himself of much of his opposition.

Robert Smith was openly opposed by the famous 11 who are now banned for life from participating in tribal government. The BIA refused to recognize the valid action by the people of Pala to remove Robert Smith from power. This was the final signal Robert Smith needed to fully realize that he can commit whatever crime he wants and not be punished.

Now his party of loyalists are governed by fear. Robert Smith can have you evicted from the Reservation just for looking at him wrong. He can have your  house bulldozed. He can punish your relatives as a message that you better keep quiet and not talk about him. He can take away your per capita. He can have you fined for entering your own Reservation lands. He can destroy or block your road to your property. If none of this works, he will have you murdered just as he did in the Joe Scott incident.

All these activities are sanctioned by the Secretary of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Inspector General, members of Congress, State and Local Governments, the District Attorney of San Diego County, the Sheriff’s Department of San Diego County, and the Courts.

So what hope is there for the people of Pala? Absolutely none. All the people can do is hope and pray for the demise of Robert Smith. Even that is proving to be difficult because his criminal cohorts are determined to keep him alive. He has had his veins and arteries scraped to remove blockages. We do not know if he has a real or artificial heart, kidney transplants or a liver transplant. We do know that he has undergone several medical procedures to keep him alive and able to continue his criminal activity.

The people of Pala are suffering a long and slow death. It is nauseating, suffocating, drowning, a slow poisoning, a death by a thousand cuts, deprivation and disregard. If you want to feel completely helpless and hopeless then just come to Pala. Correction! Come to Robert Smith’s Pala.

The people of Pala used to be good and caring. They still are. It may be too late for the people of Pala if Robert Smith is allowed to continue with his criminal activities. Yes, this is a cry for help. It is very doubtful that the agencies with the power to thwart Robert Smith will come forward. What is their price. I hear some sell us out for a mere ride on Robert Smith’s private jet while others are rewarded with retirement benefits beyond imagination.

The one known fact here is that Robert Smith will eventually die. We all do. How much damage will he cause before his death? As much as he can and as much as his mind can conceive. The people of Pala will be left penniless and no one will care because we let it happen to ourselves. Why would any taxpayer want to bail us out after we allowed Robert Smith to squander away billions of dollars? They won’t. Realize that. They won’t, and we will be done as people. Good bye to Pala.

Revenue Allocation Plan

Resolution 01-07 by on Scribd

2001 Revenue Allocation Pla... by on Scribd

Robert H Smith Background Report

I received the background report below on Robert H Smith.  The report was prepared using publicdatacheck.com.  I have not vetted all the information so I cannot vouch for its accuracy but I was told it was shown to a law enforcement agent that verified the information.

I will also post the Pala Interactive MOU again below since someone asked for it as well as other filings.

Robert H Smith Background R... by on Scribd

MOU Between Pala and NG Pok... by on Scribd

PalaInteractive LLC NewJers... by on Scribd

Pala Interactive NJ Waiver ... by on Scribd

Below is a link to a news article that came out January 29, 2019.

Pala Interactive Launches New Social Casino And Poker For World Poker Tour®'s ClubWPT™

Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive also made some recent statements:

Jim Ryan: Biggest risk from new Wire Act opinion is payments

Pala Casino Replaces CEO

There's an article in the San Diego Union Tribune that I will post some excerpts of.  Please go to the link to read the full article.

San Diego Union Tribune Amid fierce casino competition, Pala replaces its CEO

By Michele Parente

January 10, 2019

Excerpts:

Pala Casino Spa & Resort, which has been showing signs of struggling in the ultra-competitive San Diego-area casino market, has replaced its CEO.

Fred A. Buro, a casino executive and gaming consultant, was brought on at the start of the new year, taking over for longtime former CEO Bill Bembenek.

In March, Bembenek acknowledged to the Union -Tribune that an unspecified number of layoffs — coming amid its planned $170 million expansion — was due in part to the economic pressures from “an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.”

Then in July, Pala’s VP for hotel operations said the casino had deferred construction of a new 349-room luxury hotel tower — the cornerstone of its development project — attributing it to a duo of mega-expansions at Pechanga Resort & Casino and San Manuel Casino, costing a combined $850 million.

#

Besides Bembenek, Pala’s longtime PR director is also no longer employed by the casino, but reports that Pala had terminated several other high-level members of its executive team and had cancelled its annual Christmas bonus to employees could not be confirmed.

The Pala Band Is In A Legal Fight With Big Pharma Over Opioid Crisis

Thanks to Original Pechanga's Blog for bringing this to my attention.

So far it has been hard to find anything online.   Pala supposedly issued a press release but I have not been able to find it yet.

Law360 is listing the case:  Pala Band of Mission Indians v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al

I did manage to find one news article:

abc10 News San Diego - Pala Band of Mission Indians files lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors

You can read the full article at the link above.

Here is an excerpt:
#
In a press release, Pala Tribal Chairman Robert Smith said, “The opioid epidemic has had devastating impacts on our tribe. Big Pharma’s aggressive promotion of OxyContin and other prescription opiates have caused increasing incidences of addiction, disability and family dysfunction.”
#

Reality has completely gone Orwellian.

Election Results

Village News - Pala Tribe announces election results

Excerpts:

PALA – The Pala Band of Mission Indians announced last week that all of the incumbent candidates for the Tribal Council were overwhelmingly re-elected, including Chairman Robert Smith.

And:

“I am extremely proud to continue to serve the Tribe as chairman,” said Robert Smith, re-elected Tribal Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “We had a great election turnout and the strong support for all members of the Tribal Council shows confidence in the progress we have made culturally, socially and economically. The Tribal Council and I look forward to continuing this progress and achieving even more in the years to come.”

Also, Pala sent out a Press Release:

Release: PBMI Announces Tribal Election Results

Excerpt:

The Pala Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized tribe whose reservation is located along the Palomar Mountain range approximately 30 miles northeast of San Diego. The majority of the over 900 tribal members live on the 12,000-acre reservation, established for Cupeño and Luiseño Indians, who consider themselves to be one proud people – Pala.

*****

Click the links above if you want to read the full press releases.

It needs to be noted that there are (2) reservations at Pala, not one.  The PBMI wss formerly known as the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians.  Land adjacent to Old Pala was bought for the Warner Ranch Evictees.

Cupa News #14

Cupa News #14 by kupa7 on Scribd

2018 Aug 24 Dentons Letter by kupa7 on Scribd

PBMI Name Change Resolution 341 by kupa7 on Scribd

See Also:

Robert Smith - Chairman of Luisenos

...Meanwhile Pala Interactive is Doing Bigly

Apparently Pala's General Council just doesn't want to talk about Pala Interactive, that online gaming venture Robert invested $100 million of the Band's money in.

If Pala Casino is doing so bad how is it Pala Interactive is doing so good?  Why isn't the Band provided financials about Pala Interactive?  Are they making money?  Why isn't the Band receiving any Return On Investment (ROI) from Pala Interactive?

PALA EXPANDING NEW JERSEY FOOTPRINT WITH BETGENIUS PARTNERSHIP — WHAT’S NEXT?

BY JOHN BRENNAN

Excerpt:
#
Pala Interactive launched the PalaCasino.com brand in the fall of 2014 and added PalaBingoUSA.com in the spring of 2016. PalaPoker.com launched preliminarily in mid-2017, and completed its full launch in December. Pala Casino offers access to more than 250 online casino games.

Pala and Borgata — together again?

So Pala already has a triple threat of online gambling angles — might the brass try to make it a quadruple threat? Pala’s online casino gaming and poker platforms come via a deal with Borgata, which just happened to be the first Atlantic City casino to offer sports betting in June and the first to offer mobile sports betting earlier this month.
#
The deal with BetGenius may help Pala with brand awareness, something it has in California but less so anywhere else. California seemed on the verge of legalizing online poker years ago, which presumably was a big factor in Pala’s foray into developing a website and online infrastructure. If online gaming regulation does come to California, Pala will have a leg up on rivals due to its experience in New Jersey.

Pala Interactive to Distribute Leander's Gaming Catalogue

Leander teams up with Pala Interactive for North American content distribution

BY Press Releases ON July 18, 2018

TAGS: LEANDER GAMES, PALA INTERACTIVE

Excerpts:

London, 18-July: Leander has expanded its exposure to the North American market after signing a distribution deal for its content with Pala Interactive LLC.

The deal will see Leander’s extensive catalogue games and those of its partners available for play on the CanPlayCasino offering. An online gaming website powered by the Pala Interactive gaming platform and operated by the Abenakis du Wolinak first nation.

#

About Pala Interactive

Pala Interactive is an online social and real money gaming software development company that was founded in 2013 in anticipation of the burgeoning social and real money gaming opportunity in the United States. Focused on delivering an excellent player experience through our proprietary platforms for our partners and customers, Pala Interactive plans to be a material market participant in both the US online social gaming and regulated realmoney online gaming markets. Pala’s majority shareholder is the Pala Band of Mission Indians which owns and operates the Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, California.

#

Read the full article at the link above.

Cupa News #10 and Supporting Documentation

Cupa News #10 by kupa7 on Scribd

1995 Apr 18 BIA Arlene Lacy Doc 37702-P5 by kupa7 on Scribd

1995 Aug 11 BIA Michael Smith by kupa7 on Scribd

1996 Feb 2 RS to RJ PBMI Constitution by kupa7 on Scribd

1996 Nov 13 BIA Francis Muncy by kupa7 on Scribd

1997 Dec 23 PBMI Constitution Needs Majority Vote by kupa7 on Scribd

Cupa News #9

Letter to Robert Smith About Constitution 1995 Apr 18 37702-P5 by kupa7 on Scribd

Cupa News #9 by kupa7 on Scribd

Attention True Agua Caliente Cupeno and Warner Ranch Evictees

Notice to all the True Agua Caliente Cupeno and Warner Ranch Evictees out there.  Robert Smith is trying to organize people at Pala to go to protest a hearing about Warner's Hot Springs development.

This is laughable since Robert Smith is Chairman of the Luisenos.  

Not only does Robert Smith claim to be the Chairman of the Luisenos but he also has a track record of harassing Agua Caliente Cupeno descendants.  He lead the charge on disenrolling 168 Agua Caliente Cupeno.  Later when Cupeno elders tried to hold a meeting they were punished and not allowed to ever vote or participate in meetings again.

Robert routinely orders Pala Security to harass Cupeno descendants.  Many family members who live off the reservation cannot visit their family members who live on the reservation without fear of reprisal.  Robert Smith takes action and fines Cupeno for just trying to visit their family and routinely threatens to take their per capita away.

Robert Smith destroys Cupeno land and refuses to pay what is rightfully owed.

Robert Smith has stolen the per cap of 168 Cupeno for the last 6 years.  Hundreds of millions of dollars stolen.  Robert Smith has altered the blood degrees of all the Cupeno trying to erase their memory.

Robert Smith now has the BIA changing Pala to Luiseno affiliation only.

Robert Smith and Theresa Nieto stole the Cupeno Children's Trust Funds.

Robert Smith and Leroy Miranda tried to play cute when they had opportunity to buy the Warner's Hot Springs Resort (Kupa).  Instead of just buying Kupa, the ancestral homeland of the Cupeno, he and Leroy tried to buy membership shares so they could drive the resort into bankruptcy which they did.  There they thought they would buy Kupa cheap but the judge refused to sell to them because of their actions.

It's a good thing the judge did that because Robert Smith hates the Cupenos.  This is because Robert Smith is from San Felipe while now claiming to be Luiseno.

This is a sick joke that Robert Smith is playing where he would dare to organize a group to "save Kupa" when he could have bought Warner's 4 times and each time he balked.  He routinely takes action to hurt Cupeno people with disenrollments, sanctions, fines, banishments, and evictions.

To all True Agua Caliente Cupeno and Warner Ranch Evictee Descedants please attend the meeting.  See the flyer below.  Do not let the Fake Cupeno Robert Smith continue to destroy our heritage!

And don't forget!  Robert Smith is the one who put that fence around the Cal Rossi Trust next to Kupa.  In the process he destroyed all sorts of Cupeno artifacts and violated the land.

Robert Smith is no friend of the Cupeno and should never be allowed to set foot at Kupa (aka Warner's Hot Springs/Agua Caliente) ever again let alone try to organize a protest?

What is Robert protesting?  There is nothing more that Robert Smith loves than seeing the destruction of Cupeno sacred sites.  Robert is probably secretly in favor of the developments and is just trying to shake the money tree of the owners.

Expansion On Hold?

Lot's of rumors floating around.

Can anyone verify?

I am hearing the expansion is now on hold.  Where is the money?  Was the loan secured?  Or did Pala (aka Robert) never even get the loan in the first place?

I am also hearing more per cap cuts are coming.

Seems there is a ton of tribal administration that could get cut before tribal members should be forced to take a cut.

How much longer will everyone keep voting in the same people only to watch the casino go down the tubes?

Looks like Pechanga is eating everyone's lunch including Robert's.

Pala Casino In The News

LINK:  Is San Diego's casino industry over-saturated?

By Michele Parente

Excerpt:
-----------------------
Also on Tuesday, Pala Casino Spa & Resort confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs, citing facility closures prompted by a $170 million expansion and remodeling as well as economic pressures from “an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.”

Including Pechanga and Pala, a total of six local casinos have been undergoing expansions, with Barona Resort & Casino, Sycuan Casino, Valley View Casino & Hotel and Viejas Casino & Resort adding hotels, restaurants, spas, casino space and hundreds of thousands of square footage to their properties.

Longtime Las Vegas-based Indian gaming expert Dave Palermo said he’s not surprised that San Diego’s current casino building-boom bubble could be bursting for some.

“It’s extremely crowded there,” Palermo said. “It’s extremely competitive.”

“Those expansion projects are more indicative of the increasing competition among the casinos themselves rather than the economy. They’re trying to keep pace with the rest of the operators rather than expand their market share.”
----------------------

Please click the link above to read the full article.  It is very informative.   Every tribal member should read it.

Condolences to the Freeman Family, God Speed Nikki.  You are loved.

Pala Interactive's Jim Ryan Gushes For The Reporters

I would expect that there would be a large Christmas Bonus for Tribal Members since Pala Interactive is doing so well.  Thank you Jim Ryan.  I bet the tribal members of Pala are enjoying the tremendous benefit Pala Interactive is bringing to their lives.

Link to Article:

PALA’S JIM RYAN EXPLAINS HOW A CALIFORNIA TRIBE BECAME A MAJOR ONLINE PLAYER IN NJ

From PlayNJ.com

Excerpt:

RYAN ON PALA INTERACTIVE’S SUCCESS SO FAR
PNJ: PalaCasino.com recently celebrated three years in New Jersey’s regulated online gaming space. How would you assess Pala’s performance over those three years?

Jim Ryan: We are proud of our performance. Why I say that is because we entered the market a year after it opened without a brand and without a player database. To any onlooker, we were seen as an underdog.

However, we have quietly built our business and continued to improve our platform and add new games. We have been largely focused on our casino business and the casino offering has upwards of 300 games today. We were only one of two operators to introduce a bingo product and we offer bingo three times a week.

We have a very loyal customer base that comes and plays bingo but, equally importantly, that same customer base enjoys our casino games, so it is a growth driver. With the launch of our poker product in June, we are the only operator in the marketplace that has got casino, bingo and poker.

Equally with poker, which although has very small liquidity, it is already breaking even for us. So, in terms of overall performance, we have come from nowhere and while we certainly aren’t the biggest, we are far from the smallest operator. And in that respect, we are proud of those accomplishments.

PNJ: What about your performance in terms of revenue?

JR: We generally haven’t quoted the size of our business, but we do over $600,000 a month in revenue and we are continuing to grow at a reasonable pace.
--------------------------------------------------
Read The Full Article At The Link Above
--------------------------------------------------

Potentially up to $100 Million of allegedly borrowed money was invested by "The Tribe" aka Robert Smith.  3 years later the ROI is $600K per month.  What would it be if the money was just put in a savings account?

To The Honorable Robert Smith

Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Luisenos, you owe and must pay, or rather you will make tribal members pay as always for YOUR actions.

11 Oct 2017 Robert Smith Pala Trespass by kupa on Scribd

Online Gaming Lobbying Increases

New iGaming lobbying group launched in US

By Robert Simmons

Excerpt:

The I-Development and Economic Association (iDEA) claims that it is “an association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the United States through advocacy and education”.

It is made up of 17 firms representing a wide spectrum of the online gambling industry including: Amaya, Inc, Golden Nugget, Paysafe, Paddy Power Betfair, GVC Holdings, Resorts Interactive, Catena Media; NetENT, Sightline Payments, Continent 8 Technologies, NYX, Tropicana Entertainment, Gamesys, Pala Interactive, Vantiv Gaming Solutions, eZugi, and Ifrah Law.
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Seems Pala's money is still circling the drain.  How's that $100 million online poker investment working out?  Everyone got per cap raises this year, right?

Pala Interactive In The News

Pala Interactive debuts New Jersey online poker site

Excerpt:

BY Peter Amsel ON June 07, 2017

TAGS: NEW JERSEY ONLINE GAMBLING, PALA INTERACTIVE, PALAPOKER

Tribal gaming operator Pala Interactive has added a poker product to its New Jersey online gambling operations.

On Tuesday, Pala Interactive announced the launch of PalaPoker.com for both desktop and mobile poker players residing in the state of New Jersey. The poker site, which is currently in open beta testing, follows the 2014 launch of Pala’s New Jersey online casino and the 2016 launch of PalaBingoUSA.com.

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Also:

New Online Poker Room Launches in New Jersey

Pala Interactive rolls out New Jersey poker product