Indian Gaming Now

Archive - Apr 2010

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April 30th

NIGC Chair Nominee Announced

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 30 2010
President Obama has announced his nominee to chair the National Indian Gaming Commission.  Tracie Stevens, an enrolled member of the Tulalip Tribe in Washington state, has been serving as senior adviser to Larry EchoHawk, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

If confirmed, Stevens would fill out the three-member NIGC, which has been operating in a time of transition during the entire Obama administration.

April 29th

Crist Signs Compact with Seminoles in Florida

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 29 2010

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed into law the renegotiated compact with the Seminole Indian Tribe.  The compact had been approved by the Florida state legislature.  Its terms, described in earlier posts, give the Tribe exclusive rights to table games at some of its casinos, and the right to operate slots at all of its casinos.  In exchange for the promise of exclusivity, the Tribe will pay the state some $1.2+ billion in the next five years.

April 22nd

Kathryn Was Just Saying . . . .

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 22 2010
In her last blog post, Kathryn mentioned that it may be problematic that the latest compact between Florida and the Seminoles assigns revenue sharing payments to the state to the state's general treasury.  Well, the temperature just got turned up on that potential problem.  The U.S.

April 20th

Update From Florida: House and Senate Approve Compact

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 20 2010
Yesterday, the Florida state house approved the latest version of the state's compact with the Seminoles.  A few days earlier, the state senate had voted in favor of the compact as well.  By a vote of 29 to 9 in the Senate and 74 to 39 in the house, the state legislature gave its "thumbs up" to the Seminoles' exclusive right to operate table games at three of the tribe's casinos and slots in all of its casinos, in exchange for revenue-sharing payments to the state expected to reach as much as $1.5 billion over five years.  The compact still needs to be signed by Gov. Crist, who, as the state negotiator of the new compact, is sure to do so shortly.

April 12th

No Rose-Colored Glasses for Mashantucket Pequot Chair

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 12 2010
Rodney Butler, the new council chair for the Mashantucket Pequots, predicts more tribal casino closures and defaults on debts as the recession continues.

In an interview in Indian Country Today, Butler discussed the Pequots' restructuring of its own debt, as well as the tribe's downsized expansion plans.  He also urged continued focus on economic diversification in tribal communities, even in the face of decreased gaming revenue.

April 7th

Steve to Give Presentation on Indian Gaming at NDSU

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 7 2010
Steve Light will give a presentation on Indian gaming to the Political Science Department at North Dakota State University on April 8, 2010.  His presentation will discuss the history of tribal gaming under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, as well as the political and legal issues that will shape the future of the tribal gaming industry.

April 6th

Agreement in Florida?!?

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Apr 6 2010
Looks like we've got a[nother] compact in Florida!  But is it a good one?

Any compact in Florida is a good compact.  At least, that's our thinking as we near 20 years of controversy over tribal gaming in the state.  This latest compact, borne out of the necessity of the Florida Supreme Court's invalidation of the existing compact, seems to strike a balance between a benefit to the state in the form of revenue sharing, and a benefit to the tribe in the form of exclusive gaming rights throughout the state.  It's not all wrapped up in a ribbon, though -- it still needs to be approved by the state legislature, but insiders are optimistic.