Idaho Casino To Be First to Reopen

The Coeur d’Alene Casino in Idaho will reopen on May 1 with a requirement for facemasks and social distancing. It will be the first casino to reopen in the...

Published April 27, 2020

Oklahoma AG: New Tribal Compacts Invalid

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed new gaming compacts with the Comanche and Otoe-Missouria tribes last week, but Attorney General Mike Hunter (l.) says they’re “not authorized” since they include...

Published April 27, 2020

Harrah’s Northern California Extends Wage Payments

Furloughed employees of Harrah’s Northern California will be paid through April 30. Rhonda Pope-Flores (l.), chairwoman of the Buena Vista Rancheria, said she hopes extending the payments will “alleviate...

Published April 20, 2020

Michigan Tribal Gaming Workers Get Paid—Or Furloughed

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will extend full wages to employees at its three shuttered casinos in Northern Michigan, including Turtle Creek (l.). Nearly 1,500...

Published April 20, 2020

Michigan Tribe Sued For Breach Of Contract

Two developers have filed a $124 million lawsuit against the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, claiming breach of contract regarding the tribe's proposed off-reservation Kewadin Lansing Casino...

Published April 20, 2020

Fitch Downgrades Seminoles’ Outlook

Fitch Ratings has revised its outlook rating for the Seminole Tribe of Florida from Stable to Negative, but said the tribe can weather current conditions with its conservative leverage...

Published April 20, 2020

Tribal Groups Call for Ouster of BIA’s Sweeney

Tara Sweeney (l.) of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) came under fire from tribal groups last week for her proposal to let Alaskan Native Corporations benefit from the...

Published April 20, 2020

California Casino Delays Hotel Opening

California’s Cahuilla Band of Indians has delayed the opening of its casino hotel (l.) in Anza. The opening had been scheduled for April 2.

Published April 13, 2020

California Tribe Wins Land Into Trust Decision

The Ione Band of Miwok Indians has won a long battle to build a casino in Amador County, California. According to the tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior...

Published April 13, 2020

A Seventh Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin?

The Ho-Chunk Nation is seeking an architect for a new $400 million casino resort in Beloit, Wisconsin—although the Bureau of Indian Affairs hasn't yet taken the 33-acre site into...

Published April 13, 2020

Connecticut Council Presses for Online Gaming

The many small communities that make up southeastern Connecticut support the state’s two gaming tribes in their push to offers online gaming. Governor Ned Lamont shot down their request...

Published April 13, 2020

Oklahoma Compact Mediation Deadline Extended

A federal judge extended the deadline from March 31 to May 31 for mediation over gaming compacts between Oklahoma tribes and Governor Kevin Stitt. Tribes claim the compacts automatically...

Published April 6, 2020

North Carolina Band Disputes BIA Decision

In March, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced it would take into trust land in North Carolina where the Catawba Indian Nation plans to build a casino resort. The...

Published April 6, 2020

New Mexico Governor Fears Virus Could ‘Wipe Out’ Tribal Nations

New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (l.) is worried that the coronavirus pandemic loose in the Navajo Nation could “wipe out” some Indian nations. She has asked President Trump...

Published April 6, 2020

Mashpee Chairman: Interior Ruling ‘A Punch in the Nose’

Cedric Cromwell (l.), chairman of Massachusetts’ Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, calls the decision by the Department of the Interior to disestablish trust lands that the tribe considers sovereign land a...

Published April 6, 2020

Oregon Casino Will Pay Furloughed Workers

The Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Oregon has announced that workers affected by the closing of the casino due to the coronavirus will not lose their wages. At least...

Published March 30, 2020

California Tribes to Pay Workers During Shutdown

Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, and Harrah’s Northern California in Ione will pay furloughed workers. Thunder Valley said it would pay through the end of March, while...

Published March 30, 2020

Florida Tribal Casino Finally Closes

In Florida, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming (l.) was the last casino to remain open despite warnings about the coronavirus. On March 23, it finally closed up shop.

Published March 30, 2020

Foxwoods Furloughs Interrupt Union Negotiations

Labor negotiations between Foxwoods Resort Casino and the union that represents its dealers fell through after the casino was forced to close by the coronavirus. Now the union is...

Published March 30, 2020

Wyoming Tribe Taps Casino Funds

The tribe that operates the Wind River Hotel and Casino in Wyoming was forced to tap into casino funds after the collapsing economy left it with a deficit. The...

Published March 30, 2020