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Yurok Bets on Casino Negotiations

KLAMATH, California – As reported by the Ukiah Daily Journal: "The Yurok Tribe is hopeful that casino negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will provide the economic and infrastructure relief their reservation needs to provide a better quality of life for their members.

"This week the tribe and Schwarzenegger struck a deal to allow the Yuroks to build a casino with 350 slot machines with the agreement to share between 10 percent and 25 percent of its net winnings with the state. Acting Executive Director Geneva Wortman explained that net winnings are the revenue taken in, minus the patron paid winnings. And while 25 percent seems to be a lot, Wortman said that to reach that level, the casino would have to be making an extraordinary amount of money, somewhere in the ball park of $100 million.

"While the deal has been in the works since 1998 and continues to move forward, there are still a few hurdles left to jump. Now the Tribal/State Gaming Compact will head to the Legislature and then the state Department of Interior for final approval.

"…The Yurok Tribe, with 4,000 members, is the largest American Indian tribe in California and is also home to extraordinary poverty and has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Eighty percent of the Yurok Reservation is without electricity and phones and has inadequate water delivery and sewage treatment systems…"

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