"Two off-reservation casino applications are now awaiting action by Gov. Jerry Brown, who should reject efforts by tribes and their allies in the gambling industry to establish casinos along busy highways far from their traditional lands.

Brown has until the end of August to rule on proposals by Butte County’s Enterprise Rancheria and Fresno County’s North Fork Rancheria. The Enterprise tribe, working with an auto-racing team owner from Illinois, wants to build a casino and hotel along Highway 65 near Marysville, about 50 miles from its tribal lands east of Oroville. The North Fork tribe, working with Station Casinos, a partner in the Graton project, wants to put a casino and hotel along Highway 99 near Madera, about 40 miles from its reservation.

These efforts were enabled by the Obama administration’s decision to ease a rule requiring casinos to be within easy driving distance of a tribe’s reservation. In making his decision, Brown should stick with precedent."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Off-site casinos a bad bet for California (The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat 8/2)

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