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Bits and Pieces from Indian Country - April 2004
15 June 2004
By Ken Adams
Federal recognition gets top billing again this month, Congress is holding hearings
on the process, several tribes are close to receiving notice of recognition or
not and the opposition is becoming even more organized and adamant. The most vocal
and consistent of the opposition voices is Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal; his opposition is as spirited as allowed in polite society or a court
of law.
With a ferocious attack on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Attorney
General Richard Blumenthal and a phalanx of municipalities Monday demanded
reversal of the federal recognition of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. "The
BIA is lawless and capricious - out of control - and must be stopped. The
Schaghticoke decision was driven by politics and personal agendas," Blumenthal
said in a morning press conference releasing the state's formal appeal of
the ruling to be filed today with the Interior Department. Rick Green, Hartford
Courant, 5-4-04
Blumenthal is not the only person dissatisfied by the recognition process,
in fact it would be difficult to find someone that did not disapprove of the
process. Tribes seeking recognition say the process is slow, onerous and unfair.
The Lumbees in North Carolina have been trying for over one hundred years to
gain recognition. The supporters of a streamlined process want to change that
and make it simpler and quicker. Opponents, like the vocal attorney general,
want it to be slower and more difficult. The possibility of a casino that goes
with recognition only further complicates the issue.
A Senate plan to change the tribal recognition process got
mixed reviews Wednesday, making passage an "iffy" proposition this
year, the bill's sponsor said. While former leaders of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs praised efforts to beef up funding and staff to expedite decisions,
members of Congress said the plan will weaken the regulations and make it
easier for groups with casino ambitions to become sovereign tribes. It's "fifty-fifty"
that the bill will pass this year, said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo.,
adding that it's only "iffy" that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
will approve the bill before the August recess. Time is too short, he said,
and Congress has many other bills to consider. "If it was easy we would
have done this 15 years ago," said Campbell, chairman of the panel. "I'm
not sure we can get it to the floor." Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press,
Biloxi Sun Herald, 4-22-04
The latest push in Congress to grant federal recognition to
the Lumbee Indian tribe of Robeson County is pitting Republicans against Republicans
and Indians against Indians. For the 53,000 Lumbees -- 40,000 of whom live
in Robeson, one of America's poorest rural counties -- getting the federal
nod they've sought since 1888 would bring not only official acknowledgement
of who they are but also an estimated $77 million a year in federal dollars.
"Final passage of this legislation will allow the tribe to receive long
overdue assistance in areas like education, health care and economic development
funding," Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., sponsor of the Senate version,
told a Thursday meeting of the House Resources Committee. Tim Funk, Charlotte
Observer, 4-2-04
But talk in the House committee room -- crowded with Indian
leaders who had driven up from North Carolina -- soon turned to other money
issues that worry the main opponents of the Lumbee legislation. Would federal
recognition also bring an Indian casino -- and millions of gambling dollars
-- to Interstate 95? That's what worries many N.C. conservatives. Tim Funk,
Charlotte Observer, 4-2-04
Attempts by tribes resident in one state to move into another to open a casino
continue. An issue more complicated even than recognition; there are several
rationales for such moves. The most common is a return to aboriginal territory,
such as the Oneida of Wisconsin's or the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma purchase
of land in New York. In Colorado two tribes have a new twist; yes they claim
land, but they are willing to trade it up front for a casino site.
The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma has its eye on more than
building a high-stakes bingo hall in Aurelius. The tribe is also seeking local
political support to gain a Class III gaming compact to construct and operate
a full-scale casino on an undisclosed site in the Cayuga Indian land-claim
area around the northern end of Cayuga Lake. Gambling Magazine, 5-4-04
Two Indian tribes have filed a claim for 27 million acres
of land in Colorado…Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes announced Wednesday they
would file the claim with the Department of Interior. They argue the land
in northern Colorado is theirs under a 19th Century treaty, the Rocky Mountain
News reported. Bill Blind, interim chairman of the tribal business committee,
said…the tribes were forcibly removed in the late 1800s and moved to
Oklahoma. Untied Press International, Washington Times, 4-15-04
Blind said they would drop the claim if Gov. Bill Owens agrees
to a grant of 500 acres in Central City to build a $100 million gambling casino,
cultural center and travel stop. Untied Press International, Washington Times,
4-15-04
There are other reasons, business reasons why tribes seek to locate a casino
in another state. The Ho-Chunk Tribe of Wisconsin has been looking for a while
to find other locations; Illinois is one of the places where they have looked.
The latest overture is an attempt to get into the lucrative Chicago gaming market,
the one that caused three gaming companies to bid over 1/2 billion dollars.
The Ho-Chunk nation's proposal for an $800 million south suburban
casino and entertainment complex would require Blagojevich to work with the
tribe and the federal government on a pact that would allow the tribe to operate
in Illinois as a sovereign nation. …Tribal leaders are proposing building
a 220,000-square-foot casino that would include about 3,000 slot machines
and more than 100 table games, making it more than twice the size of any casino
in Illinois…net the state and nearby towns and school districts more
than $85 million in casino revenues each year. …the Ho-Chunk nation,
which already operates three casinos and a bingo parlor in Wisconsin. Chicago
Sun Times, 5-4-04
Not every tribe that moves to another state does so without opposition from
that state or the federal government. The Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma has not
found a warm reception in Kansas. But then Kansas wasn't feeling warm toward
gaming at all in April, was it?
The general manager of a Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma casino
shut down by Kansas authorities this month has been arrested and charged with
possession of a gambling device and receiving earnings from a gambling operation.
…Kansas authorities closed the tribe's Kansas City, Kan., casino on April
1. In a series of challenges in federal court, the tribe has argued that state
and local authorities had no jurisdiction over the casino, which it claims
is on tribal land. Associated Press, Topeka Capital-Journal, 4-23-04
With the huge number that are thrown around when people discuss Indian gaming
it is not a wonder that tribes are eager to get into the act, even if it means
moving operations some place else. However, not all tribes operate casinos,
nor do all tribal members individually support casinos. The Navajo Nation has
been thinking about the issue since the National Gaming Regulatory Act passed
in 1988, and have voted the issue down twice already. But just as it does in
state legislatures, gaming comes back every time there is a need for more money
to operate the government and provide services to the citizens.
The Navajo Nation will learn in August if the third time is
a charm for approving gambling; last week the nation's council voted to let
the people decide the controversial issue. Two prior gambling referendums
failed in 1994 and 1997 by 4,623 and 2,873 votes, respectively. The Navajo
vote on Aug. 3 will follow a similar referendum scheduled for May 19 by the
neighboring Hopi Tribe, which rejected gambling in a 1995 vote. Navajo President
Joe Shirley Jr. thinks his tribe will approve gambling eventually. "It's
been very close," Shirley said. "Last time it lost by (about 3,000)
votes out of 90,000 registered voters. It's gaining support each time."
John Stearns/ Judy Nichols, Arizona Republic, 4-28-04
Indian gaming is maturing, and as it matures the issues become even more complex.
Each state has separate issue, the tribes in California and Washington are facing
initiatives to expand gaming beyond Indian gaming; Connecticut and other states
are becoming more organized and focused in their opposition to Indian gaming,
disguised as opposition to a flawed recognition process, and while some tribes
are expanding operations and diversifying beyond gaming, the nations largest
tribe is still grappling with the idea of operating casino. And just when you
think you understand it all, things will change. Congress, the courts and voter
initiatives keep changing the landscape; all most of us can do is sit on the
sidelines and watch with fascination.
But now, that is simply my opinion, isn't it?
Ken
Recent Articles
Best of Ken Adams

Ken Adams is the principal in the gaming consulting firm, Ken Adams and Associates. Formed in 1990, Ken Adams and Associates specializes in information, analysis, and strategic planning for Indian tribes, casino operations and gaming manufacturers. Ken spent over 20 years in the hotel-casino industry, prior to founding Ken Adams and Associates. He held the positions of: Director of Casino Operations, Casino Manager, and Keno Department Manager. During this time, he developed numerous innovative marketing and customer development programs and systems for evaluating casino performance. Some of those programs, such as slot clubs and tournaments, have become industry standards. Ken is also actively involved in gathering and disseminating information that is important to the gaming industry. He is editor and publisher of and the Adams' Report, a monthly newsletter specializing in identifying trends in casino gaming, regulation and manufacturing, the Adams Daily Report, an electronic newsletter that provides electronic links to the key gaming stories of the day, and the Adams Review, a special report distributed by Compton Dancer Consulting that provides editorial commentary on gaming trends.
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Ken Adams is the principal in the gaming consulting firm, Ken Adams and Associates. Formed in 1990, Ken Adams and Associates specializes in information, analysis, and strategic planning for Indian tribes, casino operations and gaming manufacturers.
Ken spent over 20 years in the hotel-casino industry, prior to founding Ken Adams and Associates. He held the positions of: Director of Casino Operations, Casino Manager, and Keno Department Manager. During this time, he developed numerous innovative marketing and customer development programs and systems for evaluating casino performance. Some of those programs, such as slot clubs and tournaments, have become industry standards.
Ken is also actively involved in gathering and disseminating information that is important to the gaming industry. He is editor and publisher of and the Adams' Report, a monthly newsletter specializing in identifying trends in casino gaming, regulation and manufacturing, the Adams Daily Report, an electronic newsletter that provides electronic links to the key gaming stories of the day, and the Adams Review, a special report distributed by Compton Dancer Consulting that provides editorial commentary on gaming trends.
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