The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved a unique Class III gaming compact between the Wiyot Tribe and the state of California. The tribe considered a casino on land near the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge but the state raised concerned about the impacts on the environment. So the tribe agreed to forgo its gaming rights in exchange for a share of revenues from the North Fork Rancheria off-reservation casino. The compact calls for the Wiyot Tribe to receive up to 3.5 percent of revenues from the North Fork casino, depending on the casino's net win. The arrangement ends on December 31, 2033, according to a notice that will be published tomorrow in the Federal Register. The Wiyot compact was approved by the California Legislature in the same bill as the North Fork compact. The BIA has not published notice of its action on the North Fork compact so far. A copy of the Wiyot Tribe's compact can be found on the governor's website. Forthcoming Federal Register Notice
Indian Gaming (To Be Published September 6, 2013)
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