Senate Panel To Take Up Indian Gaming

U.S. senators will be weighing in on the state of tribal gaming in a hearing scheduled for later this month. The occasion is the release of a GAO report...

Published July 20, 2015

Oklahoma Apaches Sue For Casino In New Mexico ‘Homeland’

An Oklahoma branch of the Apaches, removed in the 19th century from ancestral lands in New Mexico, wants to return with a casino. The state and the federal government...

Published July 20, 2015

New Mexico, Tribe Locked In Fight Over Revenue Share

Thirteen Indian tribes have agreed to a 2 percent increase in New Mexico’s share of their gaming revenues. But the tiny Pueblo of Pojoaque have not. The state says...

Published July 20, 2015

Tribes Subject to Affordable Care Act, Court Says

Wyoming’s Northern Arapaho Indians object to new federal rules that apply certain coverage obligations to tribes under the Affordable Care Act. But their attempt to overturn them in the...

Published July 20, 2015

Pocahontas’ Tribe Federally Recognized

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which greeted the first English settlers 400 years ago and claims Pocahontas (l.) as an ancestor, recently received federal recognition. Assistant Chief Bob Gray said,...

Published July 13, 2015

Seminoles Await Scott Response

Florida Governor Rick Scott (l.) has yet to respond to a June 24 letter from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The tribe wants Scott to reopen gaming compact negotiations...

Published July 13, 2015

Additional Tribes Sign New Mexico Compact

In New Mexico, the pueblos Taos, Isleta, Zuni and Ohkay Owningeh recently signed gambling compacts allowing them to operate casinos for 20 more years. The Navajo Nation, Mescalero and...

Published July 13, 2015

Margaritaville 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar Opens in Oklahoma

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville casino complex won't fully be open until late 2016, but its famous 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar recently debuted at the RiverSpirit Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, owned...

Published July 13, 2015

85,000 Credit Cards Hacked at Michigan Casino

An investigation into a data-security incident at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan revealed about 85,000 credit and debit cards were hacked between September and April. The incident...

Published July 13, 2015

Former California Tribal Chairman Sentenced, Released

Tex McDonald, former chairman of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians in Northern California, was sentenced and released for time served after pleading guilty last week to a...

Published July 13, 2015

BIA Denies Recognition to Washington Tribe

Although members of the Duwarmish tribe greeted settlers to Washington, and its chief, Seattle, gave his name to the largest city in the state, the federal government last week...

Published July 13, 2015

Sixth Circuit Extends NLRA to Tribal Casinos

Two panels of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals have approached the question of whether the National Labor Relations Act applies to tribal operations somewhat differently. An “en banc”...

Published July 13, 2015

Casino Plans Leaked Before Council Meeting

The Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, southern California, will soon begin a major upgrade, including a 300-room hotel, country club and golf course. Officials of the Soboba Band of...

Published July 13, 2015

California Casino Begins Upgrade

The Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, southern California, will soon begin a major upgrade, including a 300-room hotel, country club and golf course. Officials of the Soboba Band of...

Published July 13, 2015

Hotel to be Added to Washington Casino

A hotel with an exterior and interior reflecting the cultural heritage of one of Washington’s earliest recognized tribes will be built by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. The new...

Published July 13, 2015

As Compact Deadline Looms Seminoles Up The Ante

In addition to keeping its table games open after the July 31 expiration of a compact permitting those games, Seminole Chief James Billie (l.) has informed state government that...

Published July 6, 2015

Pojoaque Pueblo Casinos Remain Open

The compact between the state of New Mexico and the Pojoaque Pueblo expired June 30, but the tribe's two casinos, including Buffalo Thunder (l.), are open. U.S. Attorney Damon...

Published July 6, 2015

Arizona Won’t Certify Tohono O’odham Casino

The state of Arizona is refusing to certify the casino being built by the Tohono O’odham Nation near Glendale (l.), prompting the tribe to sue in federal court. It...

Published July 6, 2015

Federal Court Upholds Tribal Sovereign Immunity in Bankruptcy

A federal court has upheld the sovereign immunity of a Michigan tribe in a bankruptcy hearing. Since other federal courts have ruled that sovereign immunity doesn’t apply in bankruptcy...

Published July 6, 2015

Lawsuits by Gamblers Test Tribal Sovereignty

If players in a tribal casino are mistreated, do they have any recourse outside of a tribal court, where many doubt they will receive impartial justice? Several cases involving...

Published July 6, 2015