California | NIGC | Openings & Closings | Regulation

Chukchansi Tribe sees three departures at gaming commission

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, California. Photo from Facebook

The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians in California appears to be no closer to reopening its casino nearly than a year after it was shut down amid a leadership dispute on the reservation.

Two of the tribe's three gaming commissioners resigned this week due to conflicts with the tribal council, The Fresno Bee reported. The executive director also left.

“We don’t have any regulatory body at the casino,” Chairman Reggie Lewis told the paper. The last remaining commissioner might resign too, Lewis said.

Additionally, about 100 employees who had been brought back to work at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino have been furloughed. Fewer than 50, mainly security and maintenance, remain on site, the paper reported.

“We’re pressing the pause button,” Christian Goode, the chief operating officer at the facility, told the paper. “I frankly don’t have work for people to do.”

Goode had hoped to reopen the casino this month. But the National Indian Gaming Commission wants to see more stability on the reservation and is waiting for the results of an October 3 election.

"We are looking for assurances that the gaming operation and tribal property can be safe from further conflict," a spokesperson for the agency told the paper

The casino shut down on October 9, 2014 after Rival factions clashed there. The situation prompted NIGC to issue a notice of violation and a temporary closure order that remains in place. A federal judge also issued a preliminary injunction at the request of the state of California.

Get the Story:
About 100 workers furloughed at Chukchansi Gold; gaming officials resign (The Fresno Bee 9/18)
Timing of Chukchansi Casino re-opening still up in the air (KFSN 9/16)