Indian Gaming

The Graton Resort and Casino is set to open November 5. Photo Business Wire

The Dry Creek Rancheria will see a loss in revenue when the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria open its casino next month, Chairman Harvey Hopkins said.

“It could be a 25 or 30 percent loss of revenue,” Hopkins told The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

Hopkins hopes his tribe's River Rock Casino will rebound once the newness of the Graton Resort and Casino wears off. The facility has already started offering promotions in hopes of retaining customers.

The tribe also plans other developments, including a hotel at a 277-acre site that was once proposed for a second casino. Hopkins, however, says gaming is not included in the land-into-trust application.

But Greg Sarris, the chairman of the Graton Rancheria, isn't buying it. He says there's no need for the Dry Creek Band to have the land placed in trust.

“I am against tribes taking land into trust in another tribe’s territory for any reason,” Sarris said in a statement to the paper. “There is no reason Dry Creek Rancheria or any other tribe needs to put the land into trust if they are going to have a baseball field or whatever else they plan, besides a casino."

River Rock is about 33 miles south of the Graton casino, which opens November 5. The 277-acre site is about 15 miles south.

Get the Story:
Dry Creek Pomo seek hotel for Petaluma land (The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat 10/21)

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