It was a changing of the guard at the annual meeting of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA). At the meeting, held in Valley Center, California at the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians’ tribal administration building, outgoing Chairman Steve Stallings passed the baton to James Siva, the organization’s former vice chairman.
Stallings was honored for his eight years as chairman, which included four two-year terms. Besides Stallings, others were honored as they retired: Treasurer Dennis Hendricks, Northern Representative Leon Benner, CNIGA staff Business Manager Mary Pontius, and Associate Member Representative Kari McCormick.
Attending the meeting was California state Rep. Marie Waldron and National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr.
CNIGA is the largest Indian gaming organization in the Golden State.
In an exclusive interview with Global Gaming Business News, conducted on the last day of his chairmanship, Stallings said he is proudest of “rebuilding CNIGA. We’ve increased members” from 29 to 36, “solidified the organization financially, and instituted a number of initiatives,” he said. “We are trying to concentrate on the regulatory scheme in California.
“We’re now a fairly mature industry in California,” Stallings continued. “We’ve had a lot of expansion. The challenge will be the changing demographics of the country and how we can keep our product competitive for a younger audience and people looking for a little entertainment rather than a slot house casino.”
He said the nearly $2 billion that have been spent statewide in recent years shows that Indian gaming is “willing to make that necessary investment.”
Susan Jensen, executive director of CNIGA, in a speech marking Stalling’s retirement, noted a number of his accomplishments.
They included:
- Introduction of bill language regarding non-Indian trespassers on tribal land. According to Jensen, tribes had attempted similar legislation twice before CNIGA’s attempt. Its sponsored bill made it further than any similar bill, receiving unanimous support in the Senate. Although it died in the Assembly, it brought attention to the issue.
- Calling for a regulatory audit of the regulatory fees paid to the State of California. “This is an ongoing issue,” said Jensen, “but through Steve’s leadership a spotlight is now on the regulatory practices of the Bureau of Gambling Control and the California Gambling Control Commission. We are hopeful that a full audit will be approved in the coming legislative session.”
- Illegal gaming at cardrooms. “Chairman Stallings has been at the forefront of calling on the Attorney General and the Bureau of Gambling Control to enforce the California Constitution and stop the illegal gaming occurring in several California cardrooms (playing house banked games, illegal dealer rotation, misuse of proposition players, improper reporting to both State and Federal regulators, fraud, etc.)” said Jensen.
CNIGA Chairman James Siva told GGB, “It’s been an easy transition” to the lead role. “I served on the executive committee for four years and was vice chairman under Steve. So it’s been a natural transition.”
Looking at the future, Siva said, “I think my largest goal is to continue to grow the membership. Under Steve, we are the largest we’ve been in the decade, with 36 members. I’d like it to climb up to 40. I’d like CNIGA to be the leading voice on gaming in California. To do that we need an adequate number from south and north, large and small tribes.”
The sweet spot would be around 50 members, said Siva. “If we could get ones who were previously members or who we have been speaking to, that would be an amazing accomplishment. A lofty goal but not outside of possibility.”
Speaking of his predecessor, Siva told GGB, “Steve reminds me of the classic leaders who can be very mild-mannered but very strong in key moments. He’s very much a leader and not a boss. He allows people to have the flexibility and the space to develop their own leadership styles while maintaining control over the organization.”
Of his own leadership style, Siva said, “I think I try to emulate some of what Steve does, to allow people to flourish where their talents lead them, but try to maintain not only control over the organization, but making sure … those policies are being followed and all the tribes are being looked after. Which can be overly complicated at times but is necessary in order for us to be a successful organization.”
The biggest issue facing CNIGA, he said, “is also the biggest issue facing tribal gaming: the entry of sports betting into the state and how that looks and who is shaping that. It has to be our biggest focus. With tribes having the exclusive right to have Class III gaming, the tribes have to be at the forefront of that entry into the state.”
Despite that view, CNIGA has not taken an official position on the sports betting proposal by the consortium of 18 California gaming tribes. That proposal would limit sports betting to gaming tribes and the state’s four racetracks. It would not authorize mobile sports betting.
“We have been having a dialogue,” said Siva. “We are grateful there is a tribally-led initiative, but we are monitoring the situation and gathering more info.”
Asked to comment on the fact that the initiative does not include mobile sports betting, Siva said, “I do think that, in some ways, at some time, mobile will happen. I don’t think that’s in the immediate future, and I do not have a timeline for when it will happen, but I do think it will eventually happen.”
Siva is vice chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. He was elected to its tribal council in 2015 and very shortly after that was elected to the CNIGA executive committee. So his time on both groups has overlapped.
Siva notes with pride that Morongo has a long history of tribal gaming. “We were part of the Supreme Court case [1987’s California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians] that confirmed tribal sovereign rights,” he said. “We have been there from the very beginning. Out of that case the roots of IGRA [Indian Gaming Regulatory Act] come from. I have been fortunate to serve with members who were involved in that. I have been fortunate to get well-grounded education in what it means to be a tribal leader from both of them.”
Going forward, he said, “I think everything goes into growing membership and CNIGA is the main organization when any gaming issue comes forward, and to strengthen the executive committee. We had several retire, Steve among them, and our treasurer, Dennis Hendricks. I think one of my goals would be to stabilize our newly elected executive committee in their new roles and make sure that our executive committee continues to flourish.”
