Biz Journals – The latest ruling in the ongoing battle of the legality of a casino in downtown Buffalo was made but resolution of the eight-year-old case doesn’t seem any closer. A motion made by the National Indian Gaming Commission to intervene and be a party to the lawsuit by Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County was denied May 28 by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. The commission, however, was granted the ability to file amicus curiae brief, which can be presented by an entity interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not…

Card Player – A tribe located within Idaho is tangled up in a legal battle with that state over the former’s opening of a poker room at an already-existing gambling facility. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe opened its poker room on May 2 at its Coeur d’Alene Casino. Idaho said that poker is illegal within its borders and that federal laws pertaining to tribal casinos wouldn’t provide a carve out in this situation. The Tribe disagreed, filing a lengthy motion for the state’s lawsuit to be dismissed, The Spokesman-Review reported Tuesday. “As the statute provides, even if the game of poker…

Sacramento Bee –  California tribal casinos were deeply divided about how, or if, the state should legalize online poker. Now tribes are talking, but a deal remains elusive because of key disagreements. Robert Martin, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said he would have no problem with allowing racetracks and advanced-deposit wagering facilities to offer online poker. “I can’t answer for every tribe, but I can tell you that Agua Caliente would oppose that bill,” said Jeff Grubbe, chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. He noted that voters in 2004 rejected a measure to expand…

Three state recognized tribes that are seeking federal recognition could push to open more casinos across Connecticut, which has local officials worried about traffic and land claims in the area. The Golden Hill Paugussetts in Colchester and Trumbull, the Eastern Pequots in North Stonington, and the Schaghticokes in Kent are closing on an approval from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs that will change the current standard of proof required for tribes. “The casino issue is percolating again,” said First Selectman Rudy Marconi on Monday. The tribes are “trying to get the regulations relaxed so they can…

The Internet has changed lives in a number of meaningful ways. It has unleashed a great transformation that has allowed access to information and services through a swipe or a click. Over 85 percent of Americans use the Internet and there are over 900 million users of social media around the world on any given day.  As the Internet continues to fuel innovation for American consumers, Tribal governments are rightly pursuing all online opportunities as instruments for economic growth. When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988 Federal laws governing gaming on Tribal lands did not exist….

Tribal gaming operations support 30,000 jobs in California, according to a new study of 2012 data commissioned by the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. The report arrives amid pending legislation to legalize online poker in California, a controversial issue within the state’s tribal community but one that has begun to garner support from existing casino operators. In addition to the 30,000 jobs supported by casinos and related amenities like hotels, non-gaming operations such as Indian-run spas and golf courses support an additional 8,200 jobs statewide, according to the report, which was conducted by Beacon Economics. From 2009 to 2010, tribal…