Minn. tribes see gaming threat as attack on their rights

Wednesday, March 24, 2004  

Tribal leaders in Minnesota see a proposal to allow non-Indian gaming as an attack on their sovereignty and compacts they negotiated with the state.

Republican lawmakers are using the threat of non-Indian gaming to force tribes to share more revenues with the state. Their actions are motivated by greed and racism, says the attorney for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which owns one of the largest and most profitable casinos.

"I think it bothers people that this is a group of people of color who now have resources comparable to what the upper-middle class and upper class have," attorney William Hardacker told The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The compacts guarantee tribal monopoly on slots. Republican lawmakers have threatened to make slots illegal, add video slots to a race track or allow a major casino in the Twin Cities.

Get the Story:
State looks to competition to force renegotiation of gambling compacts (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/24)
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