Indian Gaming Now

Political

Minnesota Gubernatorial Race & Indian Gaming

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Aug 31 2010
In Minnesota, the squeeze of the recession has gubernatorial candidates talking about expanding legalized gambling.  Minnesota has a nearly $6 billion budget shortfall, and the candidates are looking for solutions.

Democrat Mark Dayton wants to take on Indian gaming directly.  He proposes a state-run casino at the Mall of America, just outside the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul -- one of the most lucrative Indian gaming markets in the country.  A state-run casino, claims Dayton, would be good for the state because it would compete with Mystic Lake, a highly profitable tribal casino operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux.

Steve & Kathryn on Obama Administration in Latest Issue of GLRE

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Aug 23 2010
In the latest issue of the Gaming Law Review&Economics, we have a short article on the emerging federal policy on Indian gaming and land-into-trust issues.  Titled, "The Obama Administration's 'Path Forward on Indian Gaming Policy' and What it Signals for 'Off-Reservation' Gaming," our article summarizes Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's June 2010 memo outlining the Department's approach to Indian gaming.  We also offer our thoughts on what the Salazar memo signals for the future in these five areas: policymaking, consideration of off-reservation applications, revisiting the "commutable distance" test, IGRA's public policy goals, and government-to-government relations.

More on Mashpee Wampanoag in Massachusetts

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jul 27 2010
Today's student guest blog post is by Andrew Weiss, a second-year law student in Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course.  Andrew's post discusses another twist in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's pursuit of a casino.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Indians plan to build a casino in Fall River, MA, which is about an hour away from Boston and 20 minutes away from Providence, RI (a highly lucrative location).  This new project was announced around May of this year after negotiations with the city of Middleborough fell through.  The new casino in Fall River will include three hotels, a gambling area, shopping mall, and indoor waterpark.

Update From NY: Shinnecock Tribal Recognition

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jul 21 2010
Today's student-written guest blog post is by third-year law student Meg Morley.  Meg's research paper for Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course is on the Shinnecock Indian Tribe and their quest for federal recognition and desire to open a casino.  As Meg has chosen a topic that is developing literally as she conducts her research (one of the challenges of working in the field of tribal gaming!), she is tracking news accounts daily.  Here's her latest update:

An appeal has been filed by the "Connecticut Coalition for Gaming Jobs".  This filing automatically stays the Federal Recognition process for the Shinnecocks, a process that was to be finalized on July 19.

Now another group has come forth with an appeal, the Montaukett Tribe.

Trenton Indian Service Area Pursues Class II Gaming in ND

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jul 15 2010
This blog post, authored by third-year law student Doug Hanson, describes the efforts of the Trenton Indian Service Area to pursue gaming.  The Trenton Indian Service Area (TISA) is a government agency established by the federal government to service members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.  The Turtle Mountain Band's reservation is in northeastern North Dakota, while the TISA is made up of six counties in western North Dakota and eastern Montana.  The Turtle Mountain Band operates the Sky Dancer Hotel&Casino in Belcourt, ND.  Here's more on the topic from Doug:

Update From Massachusetts: Mashpee Wampanoag's Casino Efforts

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jul 14 2010
Today's featured student guest post is by Joshua Haugen, a second-year law student at UND:

Massachusetts is deciding whether or not to allow a casino to be opened.  A recent article mentions some really interesting points like:

"The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe started the whole Massachusetts competition when it announced plans in 2007 to build a $1-billion casino-hotel complex in Middleboro. Since then, the tribe has changed leaders, financiers and its proposed casino location.

"The competitors now include three other racetracks, a second Indian tribe and other commercial groups, who’ve announced plans of varying scope for New Bedford, Fall River, Raynham, Plainville, Milford and Palmer.

Interior Department Details Approach to Indian Gaming

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jun 29 2010
Yesterday, the Department of Interior released Secretary Salazar's memo detailing the Department's approach to Indian gaming generally, and to gaming on newly acquired lands specifically.  Here's our take on the Secretary's memo.  First, a lot of folks, both inside and outside Indian Country, are relieved to finally see some action on Indian gaming issues from the Obama administration. It's been 18 months of almost total silence on Indian gaming, one of the most important issues for many tribes across the U.S.