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'Put the brakes on'
If tribal members at Table Mountain truly gave the $10 million "out of their hearts," then why is Fresno State President John Welty asking the trustees of the California State University system for permission to name the four-story tower that will anchor the library's new north wing for Table Mountain, when the tribe is actually made up of members of the Mono-Chukchansi Indian tribe? Could it be that it would be advertising their competitors?
How is using the $10 million to "decorate the north wing with American Indian-inspired architecture and furnishings" going to improve educational opportunities for all students in central California?
Since California is home to a million or more problem gamblers (one out of every 26 adult residents), why is an esteemed educational institution doing anything to promote a stigmatized activity? Why has it been said that their managers consider slot players to be "suckers?" Who are the Indian tribes accountable to?
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Slots revenue down again at 2 Connecticut casinos
The Indian tribes that run casinos in southeastern Connecticut say revenue from slot machines dropped again in November.
The Mashantucket Pequot tribe, which runs Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods, reported Tuesday that slot revenue for November totaled $53.7 million. That was down 1.4 percent from November 2008 and down 2 percent from October of this year.
The Mohegan tribe, which operates Mohegan Sun, said it netted $59.6 million from its slot machines last month. That's down nearly 11 percent from November 2008 and down about 5 percent from October of this year.
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Bankruptcy imperils Madera County casino
A nationally known gambling expert said last week's bankruptcy filing by Station Casinos could hamper efforts by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build a Madera County casino.
The Las Vegas-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday. Station has a deal with the North Fork tribe to run a proposed $250 million casino, which would include about 2,500 slot machines, 70 table games, multiple restaurants and a hotel.
It is estimated the project would generate 2,500 temporary construction jobs and almost 1,500 full-time jobs after the casino and hotel open.
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Casino plans discussed in D.C.
WASHINGTON -- A Madera County tribe's plans for a new casino have been frustrated by the Bush administration's "gross incompetence" in handling Indian business affairs, a key senator charged Thursday.
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and other tribes nationwide have been waiting months if not years for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make crucial decisions. The bureaucratic delays are costing money and undermining morale, senators and tribal leaders agreed during a hearing designed to pressure the administration.
"The delays are just not acceptable," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, the North Dakota Democrat who leads the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "It seems like gross incompetence to me."
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Editorial: Good news for workers
In a decision that sets reasonable limits on the extent of tribal sovereignty, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that Indian casinos must observe federal labor laws.
The court said the National Labor Relations Board has the right to regulate labor conditions for those workers in the same way it does for workers at non-Indian enterprises. That's good news for the quarter-million workers, most of them non-Indians, who are employed at the nation's 400-plus Indian casinos. Indian casinos in California employ about 50,000.
The ruling stems from a dispute between the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE) and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, one of the richest gambling tribes in California. The union complained to the National Labor Relations Board that the tribe allowed a rival union access to casino employees for organizing purposes but barred HERE organizers. The tribe never denied the allegation. It simply asserted that as a sovereign government
SACRAMENTO -- Days after winning approval for more slot machines, a Fresno County tribe withdrew its application, according to a state report made public Thursday.
The Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians was awarded 1,650 slot licenses at a state drawing Oct. 5. But the tribe never made the more than $2 million payment for the licenses and withdrew its application Oct. 12, according to a staff report from the California Gambling Control Commission.
The commission did not provide details, citing confidentiality rules.
Big Sandy operates the small, 350-slot Mono Wind Casino near Auberry, but is planning a new Las Vegas-style casino in the foothills east of Friant.
Tribal Chairwoman Elizabeth Kipp said in an e-mail that the tribe withdrew its license bid to "evaluate our position" but is still planning the new casino.
The casino is far from a sure bet, however, as the tribe works through the environmental review process.
The state offered 10,549 new slot licenses after a federal judge ruled California had improperly set a statewide cap on slots covered under gambling agreements approved in 1999. With demand low amid the recession, tribes sought only 3,548 licenses at the draw.
The La Jolla Band of Luiseño Mission Indians in San Diego County also withdrew its bid and other tribes reduced their applications, meaning just 1,878 slot licenses were issued. Two-hundred of the licenses went to the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, bringing to 2,000 the number of slots at its casino in Coarsegold, the tribe said.
Big Sandy and other tribes covered by the court ruling can ask for another draw at any time to distribute the remaining 8,671 licenses, state regulators said. The new licenses could be revoked if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wins his appeal of the federal court ruling, which will be heard in February.
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