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Casinos' Funds for California Counties Missing

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the Fresno Bee: "Every night of the week, the cha-ching of slot machines rings throughout casinos across the Valley.

"Lucky winners and the tribes who run the casinos take money home, but the counties who pay for police, fire and the roads that lead to the casinos also have a chance to get a cut of the action.

"But counties have yet to see any of that money, even money casinos have already set aside for that and other purposes, leaving both sides asking the same question: `Where is my money?'

"In 1999, American Indian tribes that run casinos made agreements with the state. Those agreements said casinos with 200 or more slot machines pay between 7% and 13% of all the money the machines make to the state. That fund has accumulated $72 million since tribes started paying into it.

"But like any good game of chance, there is uncertainty involved. That money can be used for four or five different purposes.

"One of them is helping local governments deal with the ripple effects of casinos -- like the conditions on roads leading to them that suddenly have lines of cars and the increased need for fire and police calls. Casinos on tribal land don't pay property taxes that would normally pay for those services.

"…Waiting to see what happens are Fresno County and Table Mountain Rancheria, which operates Table Mountain Casino near Friant. The tribe has paid an estimated $8 million into the fund for counties, said Dan Casas, legal counsel for the tribe.

"…While the pot of money lingers at the state level, some counties and tribes are making their own arrangements.

"The tribe that runs the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore has a contract with the Sheriff's Department for staffing of special events, paid more than $200,000 for two new fire engines and other equipment, and funded a comprehensive study on roads in the area.

"This is in addition to the more than $1 million paid to the state under the gaming compact, said Robert Rosette, an attorney representing the Santa Rosa Rancheria's Tachi Yokuts tribe…"

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