NEWS

People Against a

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07/04/08 - Florida Supreme Court Rules against Governor - The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Gov. Charlie Crist overstepped his authority when he negotiated a deal last year that let the Seminole Tribe of Florida install slot machines and offer table games at its seven Florida casinos. The court said Crist could not allow the tribe to conduct types of gambling that are now illegal in the rest of the state. Although slot machines have been approved by voters in some counties, state law prohibits other types of gambling such as blackjack. "The governor has no authority to change or amend state law," wrote Justice Raoul Cantero. Also see: Supreme Court Opinion. PACT Editor's Note: This case is particularly interesting for Oregon residents because Oregon's State Constitution prohibits casinos in Oregon, yet the Governor signed compacts similar to the Florida case.

06/12/08 - Oregon Court of Appeals issues decision - The Oregon Court of Appeals yesterday delivered a setback to tribal casinos statewide, and to Governor Kulongoski for signing the compact for the casino in Florence. A unanimous court ruled that the People Against a Casino Town (PACT), a group of Florence citizens opposed to the Florence, Oregon casino, were entitled to go forward with their suit against the Governor that seeks to determine whether the he has the ability to enter into these compacts in light of the Oregon Constitution's prohibition on casinos. (Opinion: http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/A124001.htm)

5/7/08 - Oregon casino initiative delay welcomed - Two Lake Oswego businessmen confirmed on Friday something that has been obvious to political observers for several weeks now: They will not proceed with an initiative drive this year to establish Oregon’s first non-tribal casino at the old Multnomah Kennel Club in Wood Village. Oregon already is saturated with gambling opportunities and there is little to be gained – and a lot to be lost – by continuing to expand gambling in this state.

03/04/08 - City to negotiate for casino security - The City of Florence may enter negotiations with the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians to provide police services to the Three Rivers Casino. In a report to the City Council, Police Chief Maury Sanders says he was approached by the Tribes' police chief about the possibility of providing the services in exchange for the Tribes funding two full-time sworn police officers. Also see: Most civil laws don't apply at reservation casinos.

03/01/08 - Oregon man takes his own life at casino - The morning of Feb. 29, Steven L. Martin, 58, of Westlake, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Three Rivers Casino and Hotel parking lot on Highway 126 in Florence.

2/26/08 - Millions in taxpayer funds go to casino tribes - Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun each roll in an estimated $1 billion dollar a year, tax free. Despite all their riches, the federal government continues to pay them millions in grants.

02/20/08 - Recession will expose State's gambling habit - A lottery-dependent Oregon budget insidiously weighted down by the silent impacts of its tax-immune, social-obligation-free tribal casinos has as much chance of beating the recession odds as the blue-haired lady pumping quarters into the slot machine has of beating the house odds.

1/11/08 - Columbia Gorge still threatened with casino - Cascade Locks government leaders learned last weekend that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement outlining issues related to the siting of a tribal casino/resort within the city will soon be released for public review. The DEIS is expected to be published in the Federal Register within the next several weeks, followed by five public hearings. The announcement from the Interior keeps alive the long-standing proposal by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to build a 500,000 square foot casino on 25 acres within Cascade Locks’ industrial park.

01/8/08 - PACT - Oral Arguments at Court of Appeals - It might be as soon as four months, or even as long as 10 months before the Court of Appeals issued an opinion.

1/3/08 - U.S. Dept. of Interior issues new off-reservation casino guidelines. The DOI currently has pending 30 applications to take off-reservation land into trust to allow the construction of new casinos.

1/3/08 - AU Hotel owner pulls plug on poker machines - "In the end, I just couldn't stand it," he said. "The pokies just prey on people who can't afford to gamble. I've seen people walking out in tears. They've got kids and you're just hoping that they haven't done their weekly wage and will still be able to put food on the table." Mr Okalyi's move coincided with a similar decision last month by the South Sydney Leagues Club to dump its 60 poker machines.

12/29/07 - Casino no jackpot for neighborhood - .. it’s hard to see much of a spillover effect if you walk outside the casino two blocks in any direction, where houses are boarded up and businesses are struggling to survive. ... The blocks north of the casino are marked by boarded-up storefronts. A row of vacant buildings on Niagara Street sits in front of houses with crumbling porches, broken windows and condemned signs. To the east of the casino, weeds grow tall along the emptied pools and winding slides of a splash park built mostly with federal funds in the 1980s. For the better part of a decade, aside from a brief reopening in the summer of 2005, the park has lain dormant in an expanse of concrete parking lots.

12/24/07 - Approval for Columbia Gorge casino unlikely - The odds seem to be lengthening against a tribal casino in the Columbia Gorge, at least during the tenure of Dirk Kempthorne as interior secretary. Spirit Mountain Casino Tribe ran a $1 million ad campaign against the (Columbia Gorge) proposal and is prepared, in its latest budget, to spend nearly $5 million to fight off-reservation casinos.

12/17/07 - Most civil laws don't apply at reservation casinos
Millions of people enter Indian reservations each year for work or play,
unaware they might be leaving behind things they take for granted elsewhere, such as the right to sue if injured. Many personal-injury lawyers don't bother with people claiming they were hurt on tribal property, said Mark Merin, a Sacramento lawyer who helped draft ordinances that tribes use to deal with such situations. “They are basically out of luck,” Merin said. “The law is, (the tribes) have absolute immunity.”