A Little Known Case Dismissal Could Mean More Tribal Casinos in California

istock_021720_casinocoronavirus
istock_021720_casinocoronavirus

eyfoto/iStock

A victory in court could mean more tribal casinos in California. Ukiah-based attorney Lester Marston tells the Press Democrat that could be the outcome after the state dropped its appeal in Chicken Ranch Rancheria vs. California. In it, Marston was representing four of five tribes accusing the state of negotiating in bad faith over gaming compacts and insisting upon conditions not outlined in the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Marston says that the state surrendering the case allows his clients, which include Robinson Rancheria in Lake County and the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians in Mendocino County, to, quote, “operate an unlimited number of gaming machines, at an unlimited number of casinos on their reservations.” It might affect tribes currently negotiating with the state over gaming compacts, and cause other tribes to renegotiate their terms. The fives tribes involved in this case are now negotiating separate but identical memorandums of understanding with the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal agency.