Madera Co. casino deal struckGovernor, tribe agree on the state’s first off-reservation project, along Highway 99.
By E.J. Schultz / Bee Capitol Bureau04/28/08
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Schwarzenegger has reached a deal with Madera County’s North Fork tribe for what would be the state’s first off-reservation casino.
The gambling compact announced Monday allows 2,500 slot machines at the planned casino off Highway 99 just north of Madera, about 35 miles from the tribe’s traditional home in the Sierra foothills.
Lawmakers must approve the deal. The tribe also must get the 305-acre site put into federal trust, a process that could still take many months. Along the way, the proposal will face strong opposition from some casino-operating tribes and anti-gambling groups who say it sets a bad precedent of “reservation shopping.”
The one-of-a-kind compact calls for the North Fork Rancheria to share a small fraction of casino revenues with the Wiyot tribe on California’s North Coast. In return for the estimated $3 million to $5 million in annual payments, the 600-member Wiyot tribe has agreed to forgo its right to game on tribal lands along Humboldt Bay near Eureka.
“The compacts avoid construction of a casino along California’s coast and in the Sierra foothills while respecting both tribes’ sovereign right to pursue economic development through gaming and other means,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
The financially strapped state would get about $25 million a year out of profits from slot machines and banked card games, the governor estimated.
One Comment
The Madera Casino should be build because it can create many good paying jobs with health care for the employees and their families. I don’t see any politicians trying to bring good paying jobs to Madera County. And if the Casino is build in North Fork like some politicians want,try to image the traffic going up there and the accidents on the narrow two lane road.
So lets all be reasonable and let the Casino be build. It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN situation for everybody.
Art Ramoz