Massachusetts Gaming Tribe Facing Big Debt

As the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts waits while the Bureau of Indian Affairs tries to find a legal way to put its 151 acres in Taunton into trust...

Published November 20, 2017

Ponca Tribe Announces Casino Plans

The Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma will build a 12,000 square foot casino near Enid. Previously the tribe operated two casinos in Ponca City that now are closed....

Published November 20, 2017

Group Forms to Oppose Redding Casino

Groups are coalescing in Northern California to oppose the Redding Rancheria’s plans to move its existing Win-River Casino. Leading the charge is a group called Speak Up! Shasta, which...

Published November 20, 2017

House Committee Approves Poarch Band Land Act

A House bill that would put land into trust for an Alabama tribe has moved from committee to the full House. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the legality...

Published November 20, 2017

California City Opposes Petaluma Tribe Bill

A Northern California town is appealing to its two U.S. Senators to try to stop a bill in Congress from putting land into trust for the Lytton Band of...

Published November 20, 2017

Seminole Hard Rock Restricts Smoking

Smoking still is allowed on the gaming floor at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, but certain areas recently were designated non-smoking. These include several...

Published November 20, 2017

North Dakota Casino Recovering From Protests

During their height, protests against the Dakota Access pipeline gained worldwide attention. They also badly damaged the income of the Prairie Knights Casino (l.), owned by the Standing Rock...

Published November 20, 2017

Harrah’s Cherokee Turns 20

Harrah's Cherokee Casino, owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, North Carolina, recently celebrated its 20th year in business. In that time, about 61 million people...

Published November 20, 2017

Investment Manager Must Repay Tribe

A panel of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority recently ordered Gopi Krishna Vungarala to repay the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe $9.6 million that he received "through false and misleading...

Published November 20, 2017

Idaho Casino COO Arrested for Battery

The chief operating officer of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Worley, Idaho was arrested last week for his part in the beating of a man that he...

Published November 20, 2017

Connecticut Tribes Urge BIA Decision

Connecticut’s two casino tribes, plus its two U.S. Senators are pressuring the Department of the Interior to officially endorse an amended tribal state gaming compact. This would allow the...

Published November 13, 2017

Senecas Hire Washburn for Revenue-Sharing Fight

Former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn (l.) will represent the tribe when its dispute with New York over payments from the tribe’s casinos goes to arbitration. The...

Published November 13, 2017

Massachusetts Tribe Opposes Supreme Court Review

A tribe based on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts is opposing a review of a challenge to its small Class II casino that it proposes to build on the island...

Published November 13, 2017

Ho-Chunk Open Wittenberg Expansion

Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg in Wisconsin recently opened its $33 million expansion. The casino floor has been doubled and now includes high-stakes and non-smoking areas plus 10 electronic table games....

Published November 13, 2017

Michigan Tribes Shared $29.2 Million

A new report from the Michigan Gaming Control Board indicated tribal casinos generated $29.2 million for local governments and revenue sharing boards in 2016. The funds come from 2...

Published November 13, 2017

Choctaws Open $50 Million Expansion

The Choctaw Nation recently opened a $50 million expansion at its Choctaw Casino & Resort in Grant, Oklahoma. Upgrades include a new 96-room Wingtower hotel, a swimming pool, VIP...

Published November 13, 2017

Cherokee Alcohol Referendum Draws Support

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians supports holding a referendum on alcohol sales outside Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort (l.) in Cherokee, North Carolina. Alcohol sales are allowed at the...

Published November 13, 2017

Gun Lake At Supreme Court—Again

For the second time, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering Michigan resident David Patchak's lawsuit against the Gun Lake Tribe. In 2012, the high court heard his 2008 lawsuit...

Published November 13, 2017

San Manuel Announces Expansion

The Southern California San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has announced plans for a huge new expansion that includes a 500-room hotel. The Tribal Environmental Impact Report was just...

Published November 13, 2017

Fourth Former Winnebago Official Sentenced

Thomas Snowball, the fourth of nine former Winnebago tribal council members charged with theft, recently was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay $36,500 in restitution. The...

Published November 13, 2017