Saturday, April 21, 2007

Alaska Star - Your Community Newspaper: Eklutna submits for Indian gaming permit 04/12/07

Alaska Star - Your Community Newspaper: Eklutna submits for Indian gaming permit 04/12/07:
"The NIGC's primary mission is to regulate gaming activities on Indian lands for the purpose of shielding Indian tribes from organized crime and other corrupting influences and to ensure that Indian tribes are the primary beneficiaries of gaming revenue.

According to Pensoneau, in passing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, Congress included the definition of Class II and Class III gaming.

Class II gaming includes bingo, pull tabs, lotto, punch boards and non-house banked card games authorized or not explicitly prohibited by the state in which the tribal operation is located.
“The gambling that most people think of is Class III gaming,” Pensoneau said. “Vegas-style games like blackjack, craps and roulette.”"

Entertainment galore at the Bingo Plex

Entertainment galore at the Bingo Plex:
"Bingo Plex has a choice of two bingo halls, a 75 ball, and the newly introduced 90 ball, which is steadily increasing in popularity. Each hall has its own progressive bingo jackpot. At the time of writing this, the progressive JP in the 75 ball hall stands at an amazing $8,384.69 and climbing! Who wouldn’t say no to a chance of winning that? The progressive jackpots always re-start at $1000 minimum, so even if you don’t hit the current big one, the next JP starts climbing very quickly.

As well as the great game of bingo, and the exciting chat games, there are also slots games to play, incorporating 3, 4, and 5 reels, as well as the very popular Bank Heist, which currently has a progressive JP of $21,210.01. With Keno, Pull Tabs, Video Poker, and Black Jack, what more could you wish for your online entertainment! www.bingoplex.com"

Tax to be lowered on bingo parlors | KXNet.com North Dakota News

Tax to be lowered on bingo parlors KXNet.com North Dakota News:
"Since then, charities have been hurt.


(Sen. Bill Bowman / (R) Bowman) 'I did see an email that said 58 towns are going to benefit from this. The only thing that I was disappointed in is how how many towns would've benefited if included pull tabs, if you want to treat charities, treat them all the same.'

The bill saves the bingo industry one point two million dollars a biennium."

KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | When is poker illegal?

KTUU.com Alaska's news and information source When is poker illegal?:

"Bingo and pull tabs are the two types of gaming in the state where someone can actually profit; so, much of the state's efforts on controlling gaming are spent watching these establishments."

Monday, April 09, 2007

Village asks for license to gamble - South Sound - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Village asks for license to gamble - South Sound - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington: "Village asks for license to gamble

Elizabeth Bluemink
Anchorage Daily News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Native village of Eklutna applied this week for federal permission to operate a gambling center on tribal land about 20 miles from Anchorage.
The village asked the National Indian Gaming Commission for Class II gaming authorization, which allows bingo, pull tabs or an electronic version of those games.
The village said in a written statement Friday that its proposed gaming center could be positive for the local economy, creating new jobs and enhancing tourism.
'We were told this would not be a full-on casino-type operation,' said city attorney Jim Reeves.
Anchorage and state officials said they are watching the village request closely. The Washington, D.C.-based commission must rule on it within 90 days.
Not casino friendly
In the past, Alaska has fought off attempts to establish casinos or high-stakes pull-tab games on tribal land here.
The only gambling allowed in Alaska is for nonprofit purposes, though even nonprofit gambling here is a big business, with spending exceeding $349 million in 2005, according to state reports.
Under Alaska law, any kind of casino is illegal, including charitable or American Indian-owned.
A key factor in getting federal approval for non-casino Class II gambling is determining whether Eklutna's tribal land can even be used for gambling.
The village, which filed Tuesday, asked federal regulators to decide whether the 8-acre plot on which they hope to build a gaming center - a family-owned American Indian allotment near the Birchwood Airport - meets the definition of tribal land."

Cutting through red tape (April 8, 2007)

Cutting through red tape (April 8, 2007):
Cutting through red tape
Several hurdles must be cleared before an Indian-owned casino can be built:
1) Federal recognition. The right to build a casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 applies only to federally recognized tribes.
2) Federally recognized tribes must acquire what the federal government defines as ''Indian lands.”
3) Indian land must be taken into trust by the federal government at the request of tribal applicants. That process is overseen by the Department of Interior and requires the tribal applicant to submit a detailed plan describing how the tribe plans to use the land.
A Government Accountability Office study last year found the Department of Interior takes an average of a year or more to process land-into-trust applications. In one case, it took the federal agency 19 years to process an application, the study found.
As of September 2005, there were 28 off-reservation applications waiting an average of 1.4 years to be processed. There were also 34 appeals filed, taking an average of three years before a decision was rendered."