California tribes meet for annual gaming conference

Thursday, February 14, 2008  

California tribes scored a major victory at the ballot box week but there wasn't much celebrating as the 13th annual Western Indian Gaming Conference opened on Wednesday.

Instead, tribal leaders reflected on the struggles they faced in order to open their casinos. They said ongoing challenges from the state and federal government mean tribes will never be able to rest on their successes.

"It's always going to be a fight," said Brenda Soulliere, a member of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians and a past chairwoman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, the sponsor of the conference.

CNIGA, which represents more than 60 tribes with and without casinos, backed the four gaming compacts that were on the ballot. Voters approved the agreements by a more than 10-point margin on February 5.

"Thankfully, voters stood up with us once again," said Anthony Miranda, the current chair of CNIGA. Miranda is a member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, one of the tribes with a compact on the ballot.

Richard Milanovich, the chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, said he was saddened despite the favorable vote for his tribe. He wondered why two other tribes -- which signed compacts in 2004 -- joined labor unions and non-Indian racetracks to oppose the new agreements.

"It was a costly, expensive fight," Milanovich said of a campaign that saw both sides spend more than $100 million to influence the outcome. "They're not going to give up," he said of the non-Indian gaming interests.

Miranda, in his annual State of Tribal Nations address, sounded warnings on another level. He criticized the National Indian Gaming Commission's efforts to restrict the types of casino machines that tribes can offer without a gaming compact and for imposing more regulations on tribes.

"Tribal sovereign rights are being attacked by the very government agency that is tasked with protecting the tribal gaming industry," said Miranda.

During a panel presentation, Dale Riesling, a past chairman of CNIGA and former chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, reflected on the 20 years since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1998. Though many credit the law with legalizing tribal casinos, he said the industry has its roots in tribal traditions like card games that have been played in California for generations.

"Gaming was always an integral part of Indian society," said Riesling, who now works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Soulliere, whose tribe was part of the landmark Supreme Court case that led to the passage of IGRA, said the law should be called the "Indian Gaming Restrictive Act." As a young employee of the tribe's casino, she was among dozens of tribal members and patrons who were arrested for allegedly violating state laws.

"It's basically the states that got up and decided that they were going to tell us what it is that we can, how we can do it, with whom we're going to do it, how much you can earn how much you can give your tribal people, and on and on and on," she said of IGRA.

Another panel focused on the Bush administration's new policy that restricts off-reservation gaming. "It was a total shock," said attorney Sam Cohen, who said tribes will not be able to open casinos that are more than 70 miles -- or possibly 100 miles -- away from existing reservations

But not everyone thought the policy was a bad idea. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has been lobbying Congress to make it harder for tribes to engage in "reservation shopping," an attorney said.

"There are a number of cash-strapped cities and developers promising the world. It's become a free for all," said Jerome Levine. "These provisions from the Department of the Interior are indirect ways of addressing this," he said.

The conference, which includes a trade show, concludes today with discussions on the NIGC's regulatory efforts, a political forecast, gambling addiction and other topics. Tribal leaders will meet tomorrow for CNIGA's annual membership meeting.

Relevant Links:
California Nations Indian Gaming Association - http://www.cniga.com