Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Independent - Marshall, MN

The Independent - Marshall, MN:
"“We sell a lot of pull tabs,” Sodemann said. “A lot of people who gamble also smoke. Is our pull tab business going to go down?”

The community of Marshall will lose if the pull tab revenues decline, Sodemann said.

Pull tabs have generated tens of thousands of dollars for the Legion ball park, for flag poles and other community investments, Sodemann said.

The owners or managers at all four bars said they expect a statewide ban to pass. The only questions are when it will take effect and if smoking rooms would be allowed as well as patios."

Monday, March 12, 2007

Wisconsin lawmakers hear 'State of the Tribes' address

by: Abbey Thompson / Indian Country Today
© Indian Country Today March 12, 2007. All Rights Reserved

MADISON, Wis. - In what was a Native woman's strong call for cooperative action between tribal and state legislators, Patricia DePerry, chairman of the Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe in Wisconsin, delivered the 3rd Annual ''State of the Tribes'' address before lawmakers at the Wisconsin State Assembly regular session on March 1. The annual event was held by invitation of Assembly Speaker Michael Huebsch. DePerry spoke on behalf of the 11 tribes in Wisconsin. A drum ceremony and a Veteran's color guard procession kicked off the forum. Eagle staffs mingled with flags, as elected officials and representatives of the tribal nations of Wisconsin (Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Stockbridge-Munsee, Menominee and Ho-Chunk) met in the state Capitol's assembly chamber. Leon ''Boycee'' Valliere, Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe, gave the opening prayer - an invocation delivered in both Anishinabe (Ojibwe) and English. DePerry's speech covered issues facing the tribes, including gaming, sovereignty, racism and underfunded health, education and welfare programs. The outspoken tribal leader urged state lawmakers to uphold tribal sovereignty, ''a decree ordered by the United States government when treaties were signed.'' According to DePerry, ''It's not up for negotiation; it is not up for discussion. It is the law.'' She said tribes today have much to be hopeful about but many problems still exist, including poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse. ''We want for our tribes what the state wants for 'theirs': better health, better education; we want it all.'' DePerry shared childhood memories, being the oldest of nine children born to alcoholic parents. She attended a Catholic school where she was physically abused until she ''stood up'' to her nun schoolteacher and demanded an end to the abuse in seventh grade. ''The moral to this story is we need to be protectors of each other, of those that cannot, for whatever reason, stand up for themselves,'' she said. This sentiment perhaps is a reflection of the current situation in Wisconsin among tribes vying for off-reservation casinos. Most tribes have on-reservation casinos; yet, due to varying geographic locations, there are only three large, profit-making casinos - those owned by the Ho-Chunk, Oneida and Potawatomi. Rural tribes in northern Wisconsin continue to battle the state and other tribes for off-reservation casino approval. ''That is tearing us apart,'' she said. ''Some of us have made it in gaming and some of us haven't.'' She used her home as an example. ''Red Cliff hasn't made it. We sit on the northernmost tip of Wisconsin. Apostle Island country, that's up north. We have problems up there, big-time problems.'' She also discussed the importance of lawmakers being more educated on the topic of treaty rights, which has been one of the top issues concerning Wisconsin tribes since the Voigt Decision of 1983, upholding the rights of the state's Chippewa tribes to hunt, fish and gather off-reservation. DePerry, also recently chosen as the first woman to serve as chair of Wisconsin's Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, was critical of the state DNR. She told members of the Assembly that conflicts between DNR game wardens and tribal members stem from misunderstandings of tribal sovereignty. In closing, she asked for continuing cooperation between the tribes and the state, ''whatever color we may be.''

Please visit the Indian Country Today website for more articles related to this topic.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Columbian.com - Serving Clark County, Washington

Columbian.com - Serving Clark County, Washington:

"Gambling interests play off each other in endless bid for more, more, more
The old game of legal-gambling leapfrog in Washington state is in full swing, with those in power expanding gambling while saying they don't like to see gambling expanded.
The next big boost to gambling in this state is likely to come in a March 9 meeting of the state Gambling Commission (wsgc.wa.gov), whose ex-officio members include Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center. It'd be refreshing to see the commission bring at least a temporary halt to the game then and there.
Legal-gambling leapfrog is many years old in Washington and has several major players, including: La Center-style mini-casinos and recreational cardrooms; tribal casinos; bingo parlors; the state Lottery; race tracks, punchcards and pulltabs. "

· IN-FORUM ·

· IN-FORUM ·:
"The region is a particularly ripe one for charity gaming. The National Association of Fund-Raising Ticket Manufacturers’ most recent annual report shows Minnesota led the nation in charitable betting in 2005 with $1.3 billion wagered. North Dakota’s $268.5 million ranked 10th.
North Dakota is also the only state that offers charitable blackjack, said Karen Breiner, president of the Charitable Gaming Association of North Dakota."

Winona Daily News - 6.0

Winona Daily News - 6.0:
"Charitable gambling revenues are estimated to drop by 25 percent. Most of these are produced by taverns selling pull tabs. This will hurt the many good causes that benefit from gambling."

Pine Bluff Commercial Online Edition

Pine Bluff Commercial Online Edition:
"When asked if bingo was the only game, McQueen said 'pull tabs' on which a player pays 25 cents per tab and scratches off to reveal a mystery number is available at the Southwest Drive location.

'My understanding is that falls under the definition of a raffle,' he said. 'If they tell us to stop, then we will.'"