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- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
Three Oregon Tribes Challenge Coquille Casino Project in Federal Court
The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Karuk Tribe, and the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation filed a federal lawsuit in late December to halt the Coquille Indian Tribe's proposed casino development in Medford, Oregon.
The suit, filed in Washington, D.C. federal court, names the Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland among the defendants. The plaintiffs argue that Interior exceeded its constitutional authority by issuing a Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) for the proposed casino in November. The trio of tribes seek a temporary restraining order against a casino proposed by the Coquille tribe.
“This legal action is our option of last resort after being denied repeated requests for consultation,” said Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Chairman Carla Keene in a press release. “The administration has failed in their responsibility under its own Executive Order, National Environmental Protection Act rules and executive proclamation to consult with our Tribes about a project that puts the interests of one Tribe over many others.”
The Coquille Tribe is seeking to develop a 2.4-acre plot roughly 160 miles from their existing reservation, claiming the land as part of their ancestral territory.
The Cow Creek Band told a local NBC affiliate that its Seven Feathers Casino Resort could lose revenue due to nearby competition. The tribe also said that the proposed casino would violate Oregon's one-tribe, one-casino rule.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek had requested an extended comment period on the FEIS, citing concerns about the casino's potential impact on Medford and the state's gaming environment. The comment period ended Dec. 24.
"This decision carries significant implications for Oregon's communities, economic landscape, and broader state interests," Kotek wrote in a letter. "It is critical to ensure that all stakeholders—Tribal Nations, local governments, and residents alike—have sufficient time to thoughtfully consider the final environmental impact statement and provide meaningful feedback."
The Coquille Tribe has defended its push for the Medford casino as a way of further supporting its citizens. By definition, the acreage taken into trust would become part of the Coquille reservation, thereby preserving on-reservation gaming, rather than establishing the casino as an off-reservation enterprise, said Coquille chairwoman Brenda Meade in comments to the local NBC station.
“I think it’s just a talking point of ‘Oh, you’re so far away from your reservation,’” Meade said. “That is our reservation, when that land goes into trust, this is not off-reservation gaming.”
Challenge to tribal sports betting exclusivity in Washington dies on the vine
A lawsuit challenging tribal sports betting exclusivity in Washington is dead again, after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an attempt to revive it.
The case, Maverick Gaming, LLC vs. Haaland, et. al., was initially filed in 2022. Maverick Gaming is a Seattle-based gambling company operating cardrooms in the state. The company insisted that tribal exclusivity — established in 2020 after sports betting was legalized in Washington — violated the “anticommandeering principle” of the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution.
The company pointed to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s approvals of renegotiated gaming compacts, per the suit. Maverick also asserted that tribal exclusivity violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, favoring tribes due to their race.
The case was eventually dismissed in the Western Washington District Court in 2023, owing to the intervention of the Shoalwater Bay Casino, owned by the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe. The court asserted that the casino would be a required party for the case, but could be litigated thanks to tribal sovereignty.
The Ninth Circuit’s dismissal upholds that ruling, per a story by Indian Gaming. Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson has threatened in prior interviews with the press to take the case to the Supreme Court, per a story by Legal Sports Report. (Notably, the Supreme Court sided with the Seminole Nation to preserve tribal gaming exclusivity in Florida by refusing to hear West Flagler and Associates v. Haaland in September.)
Graton Rancheria sues to stop Sonoma County casino proposal
Further south, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have filed a lawsuit to halt the approval of a Sonoma County, Calif. casino proposed by the Koi Nation. The suit, reported by SFGate, builds on existing opposition to the casino brought forth by multiple tribes across the state, and even an attempted intervention by Gov. Gavin Newsom, per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 27 in a bid to stop the development of the Shiloh Resort and Casino, planned for a 68-acre plot near Windsor, Calif. The suit has been leveraged against the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and several federal officials, per the SFGate story.
The suit alleges federal agencies did not do their due diligence when studying Koi Nation’s attested historical ties to the area. If approved, the casino could “irreparably harm the Graton Rancheria’s tribal sovereignty, its rights over Southern Pomo ancestors, and sacred objects.”
DEVELOPMENT
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians have announced plans to open a gaming facility in Benzonia, Mich. The facility will be part of the tribe’s community center, per a press release from the tribe. A report by Michigan publication The Pioneer notes that the tribe sought federal objections to the facility in 2023 and have received none, so the tribe’s internal gaming commission issued a license in late November.
The tribe plans to include slot machines and table games on the property. The facility is projected to create between 20 and 50 jobs, per the Pioneer report, and should be open by the end of January 2025.
NOTEWORTHY
Choctaw Casinos and Resorts has announced itself as the official casino and resort partner of the Dallas Open tennis event. The collaboration will allow for Choctaw Casinos-branded venue spaces and naming rights for tournament elements at Ford Center at the Star venue in Frisco, Texas. The event will take place from Feb. 1-9, 2025. The Choctaw Club space will feature table games, digital gaming, and curated food and beverages.
The partnership builds on a growing number of partnerships with Texas sports and entertainment, including the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars. “Partnering with the Dallas Open, the region’s premier tennis event, allows us to further showcase the elevated Choctaw experience,” Heidi Grant, Senior Executive Officer of the Choctaw Nation, said in an interview with Indian Gaming. “We are proud to bring our premium hospitality offering to tennis fans and strengthen our presence in North Texas sports and entertainment.”
PEOPLE
Michael J. Broderick has taken over as president of the Red Earth Casino and Travel Center after a vote by the Torres Martinez Gaming Corporation Board of Directors in mid-December. Indian Gaming reports Broderick will oversee operations at Red Earth, which is owned by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.
Hard Rock International, under the Seminole Tribe of Florida, has appointed Chris Kelley as president of its upcoming Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tejon in Kern County, California. Kelly will oversee operations of the establishment, which is planned to open in late 2025, per a report by Indian Gaming.
If you have news or information about Indian gaming, expansions, developments,or emerging stories, shoot me a note at [email protected].
