More than 450 tribal leaders, regulators, industry professionals and policy experts recently attended the 26th annual Western Indian Gaming Conference at Sycuan Resort Casino in El Cajon, California, following a 2-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
At the general session, the State of Tribal Nations address was delivered by California Nations Indian Gaming Association Chairman James Siva, who spoke on the resilience of tribal government gaming through the pandemic, as evidenced by the openings of multiple new tribal casinos. Siva said 63,000 Californians work in tribal gaming, up by 6,000 over last year, according to state figures.
Siva also addressed tribes’ success in defeating Proposition 27, which would have allowed out-of-state commercial gaming interests to take control over online sports betting in the state. He said, “This initiative suffered one of the widest defeats in California history and should serve as a cautionary tale to those that attempt to enter the California gaming market without working directly with tribes.”
Siva also discussed the state audit released last August, which called out the mismanagement of the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund that many gaming tribes must pay into. Siva quoted Acting State Auditor Michael Tilden, who said, “In the state audit of the management and use of the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund, we determined that the state has not effectively managed the distribution fund, and it has allowed the fund to accumulate an excessive reserve.”
In addition, Siva brought up recent federal court decisions that found the state’s demands regarding gaming compacts violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. He said a court-appointed mediator recently eliminated several of the disputed provisions, calling those actions a “light at the end of this very long tunnel.”
Finally, Siva discussed CNIGA’s support of AB 341 which would restore the moratorium on the expansion of for-profit commercial card rooms that offering unconstitutional gambling. He said the expiration of the moratorium on card room expansion could have devastating effects on tribal gaming.
The conference also offered seminars and workshops on tribal governmental issues, casino operations and security, regulation and finance.
