Here is a weekly round-up of business briefs from around Indian Country.
BANKRUPTCY
Native-owned cigarette maker King Mountain Tobacco Co., Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, according to a court filing. Yakama, Wash.-based King Mountain Tobacco, which is owned by a Yakama Nation citizen, reported the company has between $10 million and $50 million in assets and between $50 million and $100 million in liabilities. The single-largest creditor is the U.S. government’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which is owed $75.5 million in excise taxes, interest and late fees. King Mountain reported gross revenues of $29.9 million in 2019, according to the filing.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in northern California announced a $15 million gift to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Law School. The funds will be used to create the Graton Scholars Endowment, which will support full scholarships for Native and non-Native law students interested in pursuing Native American legal studies at UCLA Law. The Graton Rancheria Tribe, which owns the Graton Resort & Casino north of San Francisco, called the gift “the largest educational donation in history dedicated to scholarships for tribal legal advocates.”
INDIAN GAMING
The U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act (H.R. 8255) to reaffirm action taken by the Department of Interior to place 17 acres of land in North Carolina into trust for the Catawba Nation. The tribe plans to build a $273 million casino on the land, which is 35 miles from Charlotte. The legislation, which was introduced by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), had bipartisan support from seven other congressional members and was referred to the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States.
International Game Technology PLC announced an agreement to provide retail sports betting at two casinos operated by Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. The Grand Treasure Casino in Trenton, N.D. and Sky Dancer Casino and Resort in Belcourt, N.D., will both use IGT's PlaySports platform, self-service kiosks, and trading services, according to a news release.
Following a grand opening ceremony last week, Turtle Creek Casino, owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, has opened its sportsbook to betting. The Onyx Sports Book by William Hill features two ticket windows and kiosks, 20 TVs, a bar, patio and food service, according to a report on UpNorthLive.com. The tribe also opened an Onyx sports book at its Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, Mich.
COURT TECHNOLOGY
Minneapolis-based Precision Kiosk Technologies announced an agreement to supply the Acoma Pueblo in central New Mexico with the company’s AB Kiosk technology for court-mandated alcohol monitoring. The Acoma Tribal Court has installed the Kiosk in the Pueblo of Acoma Law Enforcement Center, where it screens up to 25 clients each day for the use of alcohol.
