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Gregory Mendoza: Tohono O'odham Nation misleads on casino

Gov. Gregory Mendoza. Photo from Gila River Indian Community
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Gov. Gregory Mendoza of the Gila River Indian Community accuses the Tohono O'odham Nation of exploiting loopholes in its pursuit of an off-reservation casino in Arizona:

Since its earliest days, tribal gaming in Arizona has been predicated on striking a careful balance — one that allows all tribal economies and Arizona communities to benefit, while restricting gambling to traditional tribal lands. Though the Nation argues that they’ve played by the rules, the truth is they are exploiting loopholes that only exist because its leaders and attorneys mislead other negotiating parties about its true intentions. Through bad faith negotiations the Tohono O’odham Nation has unilaterally changed the rules mid-game, in a way that could invalidate the voter-approved gaming compacts and open the door to Las Vegas-style casinos in multiple neighborhoods.

The possibility of unfettered gaming has created an enormous backlash to the Nation’s casino, birthing a coalition that includes Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, nearly the entire state congressional delegation, mayors across the region, and Gila River and more than a dozen tribal communities in Arizona and nationally. Also opposed to the project: More than 10,000 Glendale residents who signed petitions asking to put the issue on the ballot in November — a request denied by the city of Glendale on procedural grounds. Indeed, while the Nation portrays the recent Glendale vote as an enormous victory, it ignores the two lawsuits still outstanding against the casino and the need to secure permission from U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to game on the Glendale land.

The Nation also continues to gloss over H.R. 1410, a congressional bill put forth by a bipartisan coalition of Arizona representatives. That bill, written to preserve tribes’ 2002 campaign promise to prevent Las Vegas-style gambling in neighborhoods, passed the U.S. House in a landslide voice vote and is awaiting action in the Senate.