Timbisha Shoshone casino plans up in the air

Monday, November 27, 2006  

$stalker The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe of California made a splash when it announced plans to open a casino more than 200 miles from the reservation but the project appears to be on the backburner.

The casino site is in Hesperia, near Interstate 15. But the owner of the land recently put it up for sale for $32 million.

Meanwhile, the tribe hasn't moved forward with its land-into-trust application. The Bureau of Indian Affairs in Sacramento said no documents were received.

The Rinaldo Corporation, the owner of the land, still hopes the plan is alive. "Actually, we take a lot of comfort in the change of Congress," developer Gary Fears told The Victorville Daily Press. "We think it will be more friendly toward Indian gaming."

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California) sponsored a bill that would have killed the Timbisha casino but it was blocked on the House floor by a procedural vote. Pombo lost his bid for re-election.

Get the Story:
Casino developer open to selling property (The Victorville Daily Press 11/26)