from yesterday's San Diego Union Tribune --
Is Orange Co. next stop for a big casino?
Indian band's likely business 'phenomenal' – if it gets OK
By James P. Sweeney
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
October 3, 2007
"SACRAMENTO – Indian gaming may soon push into one of the nation's most populous metropolitan areas if federal officials agree to recognize the Juaneno Band of Orange County.
The tribe's petitions for federal recognition, which carries the coveted right to acquire a reservation and build a casino, have been pending before the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 25 years.
A tentative decision has been postponed three times in the past year but appears imminent. Last week, the bureau asked for an additional 60 days, promising to release its ruling by Nov. 26.
An advance of Indian casinos into Orange County could reshape the balance of economic power within Southern California's thriving gambling industry. Big, bustling casinos in already-competitive northern San Diego County, as well as those in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, depend on Orange and Los Angeles counties for a large share of their clientele." ....
"The Bureau of Indian Affairs' track record suggests that the Juaneno band faces discouraging odds in its bid to join the nation's 561 federally recognized tribes. Since the Secretary of Interior established strict acknowledgment criteria in 1978, just 16 of 40 tribes that have gone through the process have been granted recognition.
The process, which can take decades, also appears to have become more contentious and political as Indian gambling has exploded into a $25 billion industry, with $7.6 billion of that in California.
In the past five years, two Connecticut tribes – the Eastern Pequots and the Schaghticokes – have had the bureau tentatively grant recognition, only to deny it later in the face of state and local opposition.
California has 107 federally recognized tribes, nearly a fifth of the nation's total. More than 60 other Indian groups in the state, including three in San Diego County, are seeking federal recognition. None is as far along as the Juaneno, which split into at least three factions while its petition was pending." ...
"The revenue potential of an Indian casino in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which includes Orange County, is almost incalculable. With nearly 13 million people, the region is second only to the 18.8 million people who live in the New York metropolitan area.
Like Orange County, Los Angeles County also has no federally recognized tribes. The closest Indian casino is 65 miles east on the San Manuel reservation in suburban San Bernardino.
With that enviable location, San Manuel's 180 members operate one of the nation's most profitable casinos, with 2,000 slot machines. A new compact will allow the tribe to add up to 5,500 more slots next year." ...
For the complete story see:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20071003-9999-1n
3casino.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment