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Bits and Pieces from Indian Country - June 2003
30 June 2003
By Ken Adams
California remains the leading story in Indian gaming. During
the last year California Indian gaming has seen dramatic expansion. Two new
casinos opened in June and tribal employment leads the state in growth. However,
unionization continues to be controversial with the sides trading insults with
very strong language.
Tribal governments continue to far outpace all other California
private and public sector employers in job growth, registering a 12-percent
increase in employment for the year ending May 31, according to state figures.
No other industry with more than 20,000 workers experienced job growth
anywhere near the figures posted by California's tribal governments, according
to figures released June 11 by the state Employment Development Department.
In fact, virtually all state employers reported a loss of jobs for the year.
PRNewswire, Yahoo Finance,
6-18-03
A wage and benefits dispute between a hotel workers union
and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs has escalated
into a personal feud between the tribal chairman and a group of activist clergy.
"In all my years in Palm Springs, I would never have believed that a priest
would behave like a common thug and peddle the union's lies," Milanovich wrote
in a letter to casino employees. "It is a sad day
when people believe that this conduct is acceptable." The personal sniping
underlines how the effort by the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees
International Union to organize the workers at the tribe's two Coachella Valley
casinos has intensified in recent weeks. Louis Sahagun,
Los Angeles Times, 6-28-03
The fight in California over new tribal casinos is also reaching
new levels. Several communities and the state have been fighting Indian casinos
in specific locations, but the only place that opposition to tribal gaming can
be really effective is in federal legislation. Senator Feinstein of California
has introduced legislation to stop the introduction of a casino near Sears Point.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein will introduce legislation today that
could force an American Indian tribe to move its proposed casino near Sears
Point to another site, according to her spokesman. Feinstein's bill would
allow the U.S. Department of the Interior to impose strict environmental regulation
of the proposal's impacts – an ability the department lacks. Official entry
into the casino fight today by Feinstein, D-Calif., is a step forward for
North Bay casino opponents and represents what is perhaps their only hope
in getting the tribe to divert its gaming plans. Michael Flaherty, Marin Independent Journal, 6-26-03
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria …owns an acre of land
in Graton, near Sebastopol. It lost its federal status as a tribe in 1958
and did not regain it until 2000, thanks to legislation by Sen. Barbara Boxer
and Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma. At that time, the tribe pledged to never
go into gaming. Now, Sarris said the tribe needs gaming to lift its members
from poverty -- 54 percent earn less than $30,000 annually and 32 percent
earn less than $20, 000 -- and provide adequate housing and health care. …Patrick
Wofford, a spokesman for Sonoma Citizens to Stop the Casino, said Sarris changed
his approach after the tribe gained federal recognition in 2001. Wofford
said, "The credibility of the casino backers is already broken. This is
a bad deal for the environment, a bad deal for our community, and a very bad
deal for the American democratic process." Pamela J. Podger, San Francisco Chronicle, 6-7-03
The governor of California, Grey Davis, made headlines earlier
in the year, saying he expected $6 billion in additional revenue from Indian
casinos. It was not clear to anyone, probably including Davis, exactly how
that would happen. Negotiations for new compacts did begin, but there has been
little news about the details or progress. It may be that Davis is too busy
fighting for political survival to give Indian gaming much thought.
The state attorney general calls efforts to recall Gov. Davis
"a profound threat to democracy." The lieutenant governor calls it an "expensive
perversion" of the recall process. The state treasurer describes it as an
"odious use" of the system. …So, if Davis faces a recall, who would the alternatives
be? The possibilities include some of the usual suspects, including the man
who lost to Davis last time. But the list of potential governors also includes
the Terminator and Meathead. And not everyone at the Capitol is convinced
that the Democrats who bowed out last week would resist the temptation to
run. The recall drive has yet to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures
of voter support needed to qualify for what would be a history-making election
this fall or next spring. Still, there is now a swarm of public figures with
gubernatorial ambitions who are hurriedly polling and strategizing, trying
to decipher how dozens of possible ballot scenarios might affect their odds
should the window of opportunity present itself. Margaret Talev, Modesto Bee, 6-22-03
Elsewhere, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington opened a new casino,
their second. Ten years ago Tulalip opened a small-table-games-only casino
just out of Marysville, Washington. Ten years later, with a town of its own,
the tribe opened a much larger and more complete casino. Tulalip is illustrative
of the process of Indian gaming and the way tribes view casinos and the future
of their tribe. It also shows why sovereignty is so important to Indian tribes.
In Idaho the tribes won in court, validating the results of a ballot imitative
that enables expanded gaming. And in Arizona and New Mexico, the Zuni tribe
sells its slot options, gets the gaming payback without casinos.
Tulalip Tribes, who just a decade ago had nothing but a dying
fishing industry and a valuable reservation to keep them afloat, the opening
of the new casino symbolized an exciting new era of economic development.
… "It's been just a long, long road," said tribal Chairman Herman Williams
Jr. "We passed the resolution in January 1999 that we wanted to be the biggest
and the best in the Northwest, and I think we've succeeded." …The Tulalip
Tribes opened their first casino, a converted bingo hall, in 1992. Despite
its small size, smoky air and overcrowded parking lot, the first casino was
extremely successful. The tribes won't release revenue figures or estimates
of how many people visited the old casino, but in the past three years they've
bought back 2,400 acres of reservation land. They have built a school and
created drug- and alcohol-rehabilitation programs. A new tribal health clinic
is slated to open in August. Tribal leaders say the new casino's revenues
are vital for a community that doesn't want to be dependent on gaming. The
tribes already opened the Quil Ceda Village business park along Interstate
5 near Marysville. The development includes Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores.
Casino revenue will drive a slew of other developments, including a hotel
and conference center, outlet stores and a water park, tribal leaders say.
…The new casino cost $78 million. The tribes bill it as "Las Vegas-style gambling,"
and the huge building houses four restaurants, 2,000 slot machines and 49
gaming tables. Emily Heffter, Seattle Time, 6-6-03
The Idaho Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging
the Indian gambling initiative overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall.
The high court this week said it lacks the "original jurisdiction" to hear
the lawsuit. "The voters of Idaho and the State Supreme Court have spoken
on this issue," Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman Ernie Stensgar said Monday.
"We hope that Indian gaming opponents will now honor the will of the people
and the court, so we all can stop spending precious time and money in court
and get on with our efforts to provide jobs and revenues for the people of
Idaho." Associated Press, Las Vegas Sun, 6-6-03
A gaming pact was reached between the Pueblo and the Gila
River Indian Community in Arizona, which could mean more than $3 million a
year income for Zuni. Dan Simplicio, tribal council member, said no casino
will be on Pueblo of Zuni lands, either in Arizona or New Mexico. The tribe
has more than 450,000 acres in New Mexico and Arizona, about 400,000 acres
of it in New Mexico. The agreement allows the transfer of 475 slot machine
licensing rights to the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Ariz. The
Gila River Indian Community has three Arizona gaming facilities, one in Wild
Horse Pass, one in Vee Quiva and one in Lone Butte. The 475 slot machines
the Gila River Indian Community can buy with the Zuni licensing rights will
be added to the community's allocation. Simplicio said in return for the
licensing rights the pueblo will get more than $3 million a year. Tom Purdom, Gallup Independent, 6-27-03
Any place on the planet that does not have a casino is probably
considering one. Israel, Thailand, India and
Guam are talking about it today. Any place that does have a casino is probably
trying to figure out how to get more money from it. Every casino has more competition
than it had last year and will have more next year. In general, the business
is simply more complex, competitive and costly and the margins are deteriorating.
The biggest players will continue to do well, and the rest of us will be trying
to trade failed casinos for a piece of Pacific Ocean beach.
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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