Attorney General Rob Bonta (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)News that Attorney General Rob Bonta had ruled in early July that daily fantasy is illegal in California sparked a flurry of one-day stories about the opinion and reactions to it, most notably Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blunt disagreement with the AG. The dynamics of the situation, however, are far more complex and nuanced than those basic narratives.
Image by MariuszSzczygielJust days after several gaming tribes filed suit to block “California Blackjack” and other Las Vegas-style games in cardrooms, the tribes requested a temporary restraining order on Tuesday to prevent the cardrooms from erasing any security videos of allegedly illegal games being played at their facilities.
Gregory Sarris, image from Becoming Story YouTube book trailerAn esteemed author and scholar as well as a long-time tribal leader, Greg Sarris would seem to be a natural fit on the UC Board of Regents. But scratch below the surface and you’ll find that Sarris has led such a controversial life that he could face scrutiny when his appointment is reviewed sometime next year.
Black Butte near Mt. Shasta in Siskiyou County. Photo: Pung, via Shutterstock)A controversial bill to reinstate federal tribal recognition to a long defunct Siskiyou County American Indian rancheria is stalled in the House of Representatives amid questions about the group’s authenticity and motivations. House Resolution 3535, sponsored by Congress Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, would reinstate federal recognition to Ruffey Rancheria, a home for “landless Indians” in Etna approved in 1907 and terminated by Congress some 50 years later.
This poker player's hand is the stuff that dreams are made of.. (Photo: Freer via Shutterstock)OPINION: Over the last decade, many California cardrooms have moved beyond their gold rush roots by upgrading and adding hotel and dining options to meet patron demands for the gaming experiences found elsewhere. Today, more than 75 state-licensed cardrooms operate in California, providing thousands of living-wage jobs and valuable general fund revenue to communities across the state.
Internet gambling, an illustration. (Photo: Pedro Sala)Legalizing internet poker in California – a fruitless effort that has spanned seven years, a dozen major bills and hundreds of hours of tense talks – was headed for defeat in the Capitol, following opposition from a key Senate committee leader. Casino-owning tribes, card clubs and the horse racing industry were unable to agree on a formula that would allow them to share in the online gaming market, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Two tribes have put $1 million each into the campaign to block another tribe from opening a casino-hotel off Highway 99 near Madera. The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, based in Temecula, and the Table Mountain Rancheria, which operates a casino in Friant, contributed $2 million to oppose Proposition 48, according to financial disclosure reports at the secretary of state’s office.
Two weeks before the November election, a major casino-owning tribe in Southern California has launched a campaign against Proposition 48 to block another tribe’s establishment of a new casino in the Central Valley.
Foes of a $250 million tribal casino-hotel north of Madera have qualified a referendum for the November 2014 ballot – a move that delays construction on the 305-acre site until voters decide the issue next year.
A political committee has been formed to block a referendum challenging a proposed tribal casino north of Madera planned by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.