| People Against a Casino Town |
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Special Investigation by Donald
L. Barlett and
James B. Steele |
| Part 1 - Look
Who's
Cashing In At
Indian Casinos - Hint: It's not the people who are
supposed to benefit Wheel of Misfortune
Who Gets the Money The Moneymen The Great Land Rush Whose Tribe Is It, Anyway? Part 2 - Playing the Political Slots Short
Articles
A Lucky Few Reap the Rewards |
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As the profitability and size of Indian casinos have grown, so has friction between the gaming ventures and surrounding communities. Last summer tensions between the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and its neighbors in the rural Northern California Capay Valley erupted into a bitter war of words when the tribe announced plans to double the size of its hillside gaming business. Highway 16, the narrow, serpentine road that winds past the Cache Creek Indian Bingo and Casino on its way into the tiny hamlet of Brooks, is already congested from round the clock traffic to the casino. In 2001, traffic to Cache Creek, with its estimated $150 million annual revenue, was up 87% from the year before, according to a California department of transportation study. Indian casinos are overloading other communities across the country. One exacerbating factor: because of tribal sovereignty, if a casino overwhelms local emergency services, draws down the local water supply or pollutes the environment, local authorities have no recourse. Tom Frederick, who owns a small vineyard north of the casino, found that out the hard way. For years, as sewage from the casino seeped onto his property, he tried to get the Rumsey Indians to deal with the problem. Recently the waste water drainage slowed when the tribe relined a sewage holding pond, but tribal officials will not talk to him about any damage to his property. "They use sovereignty as a shield," he says. After protracted negotiations, the Rumsey Band and Yolo County officials reached a tentative accord on the casino expansion. The tribe, which views the deal as a concession, since it is a partial surrender of its sovereignty, agreed to slightly reduce the size of the expansion and pay the county more than $5 million a year for 18 years to deal with traffic, environmental and other problems. But relations remain strained. Bulldozers moved onto the Rumsey reservation and began clearing land even before the county board had approved the agreement. |
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Time Magazine, Special Investigation by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, December 16, 2002 |
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