Card Player – As a tribe moved to open a poker room in Idaho despite a state ban on poker, the governor and the attorney general filed a lawsuit to try to put a stop to it all. Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday, according to JRN.com.
“Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian tribes are authorized only to offer those types of games that are legal within the state where they are operating,” said Otter spokesman Jon Hanian. “The Idaho Constitution prohibits poker, classified under IGRA as a Class III game. That restriction is detailed in the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s gaming compact with the State, which is required for operation of a tribal casino under IGRA.”.
According to the Associated Press, Helo Hancock, the tribe’s legislative director, believes that the state cannot tell the tribe ‘no’ thanks to the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. There’s a big difference in interpretation of that law. The poker room did in fact open on May 2. The Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel already had slot machines and bingo.
