Following a meeting between Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and members of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council in Fort Washakie, the state extended its gaming compact with the tribe through 2046. The tribe owns and operates the Shoshone Rose Casino near Lander.
Mead told tribal officials he hoped the compact renewal “enables you to figure out your investments and projects.” He added the state is working to regulate illegal horseracing and slot machines throughout the state. In response, Council Chairman Darwin St. Clair Jr. wrote in a letter to Mead, “If the state decides to liberalize its gambling policy and authorize expanded commercial gaming, the tribe’s interests are necessarily at stake. The state’s policy supporting expanded gaming should take into account the rights of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe to conduct tribal gaming and the benefits it provides.” St. Clair noted the tribe uses gaming revenue to address deficits in resources for education, health, housing, safety employment and law enforcement. “The reservation and the state economy are more productive as a result of these investments,” he wrote.
Mead agreed to St. Clair’s request that the tribe have representation on a state gaming committee, noting the tribe could provide important background information and “guidance and expertise” regarding the gaming industry.
