Feds Nix Two Tribal Gaming Compacts, Gov. Gavin Newsom Protests

Feds Nix Two Tribal Gaming Compacts, Gov. Gavin Newsom Protests

The US Department of the Interior decided not to approve Class III gaming compacts with two California tribes — the Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria and the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians — claiming that they violated portions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Tachi Palace Casino ResortThe Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif, seen above. The federal government recently denied two compacts signed by the State of California, including one with the Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria to expand their resort. (Image: tachipalace.com)

Both tribes were reportedly planning a “casino resort complex,” according to rejection letters sent to the tribes and the state. These plans include building new restaurants and hotels that operate beyond the gaming spaces regulated by the Tribe’s Gaming Commission.

Taking issue with several definitions in the compacts, the feds wrote, The 2022 compact confers expansive powers on the state and local governments to regulate the tribe’s activities and lands that are not directly related to the actual conduct of gaming.”

State-tribal Class III gaming compacts are agreements between the state and separate tribal governments that specify how many gaming devices and casinos a single tribe can operate, according to the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations.

The Santa Rosa Rancheria had planned to expand the gaming space in their Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif. by 44,000 square feet and build a 12-room hotel tower, a bingo hall/conference center, and a three-level garage.

Newsom Slams Decision

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) strongly rebuked the feds’ decision, warning of its repercussions. He said in a statement that the disapprovals Threaten the ability of these and other tribes to invest and maintain jobs in many of California’s economically disadvantaged communities.

He noted that the compacts were “carefully negotiated by the state and the tribes in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act” to give tribes the “economic benefits of gaming while mitigating impacts to local communities.” And he noted that this latest agreement came on top of existing compacts signed between the tribes and the state in 1999.

This is the second time the Interior Department has disapproved of compacts with the same tribes, following a similar decision in November 2021.

California has ratified gaming compacts with 75 tribes, and currently hosts 66 casinos operated by 63 tribes, according to the California Gambling Control Commission.

Del Lago Casino in Upstate New York Now Has Sole Owner After Wilmot Family Cashes Out  Rap Song Leads to Pimp’s Arrest Over ‘Prostitute’ at Las Vegas Casino: Police  Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Cedric Cromwell Indicted on Bribery and Extortion Charges  $1.35B Mega Millions Winner Comes Forward in Maine, Picks One-Time Cash Option  Showboat Atlantic City Mulling Casino Return, as Boardwalk Revitalization Continues  ESPN College Football Analyst Kirk Herbstreit Expresses Doubts About 2020 Season Amid Coronavirus Pandemic  Washington Tribe Donates $750K to Pandemic Relief Efforts In Its Hard Hit State  Atlantic City Casinos Win $2.6 Billion, First Yearly Increase Since 2006  Nevada Regulators Approve CS:GO Betting: Could Sportsbooks Profit Off Esports Markets?  Las Vegas Culinary Union Still Negotiating With Treasure Island, Golden Gate, The D