Two California Tribes sue card rooms in the state over “house-banked” games. The Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians announced Friday that they have filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against several cardrooms located in Southern California. “I would like to make it clear, we are not challenging the right of a business to operate, but rather the non-compliance with California law,” said Bo Mazzetti, Chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians. “If the California Department of Justice and the Gambling Control Commission would have enforced the current laws that…

California Tribes represented by the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) have warned that a sports betting bill in the state would violate the tribal-state compacts. After the announcement that assembly member Adam Gray introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow California to offer sports betting in the state if the federal law changes, the CNIGA said that it would violate the tribal-state compacts. Steve Stallings, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), warned that the constitutional amendment that paves the way for a legal sports betting market in California violates the tribal-state compacts. “Historically, the association has…

Sacramento Bee –  Major California tribes with casinos announced Tuesday that they had reached agreement on legislation that would legalize online poker in the nation’s largest state. In a letter to state Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, and Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles – the authors of online poker bills that had each attracted support from various members of the state’s influential tribal casino industry – 13 tribal leaders said they had come to terms. “As you know, this journey has been long and difficult, but the challenges posed by the Internet demand that we harness rather than cede the…

LA Times – After five years of disagreements, 13 California Indian tribes said Tuesday they have reached a compromise on legislation that would legalize Internet poker in the state. Until recently, tribes including the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians disagreed with other casino operators, including the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, but both sides now support a bill that would only allow current operators of a brick and mortar poker casino to run games on the Internet. That and other language in the bill could exclude Internet poker companies such as PokerStars, which has partnered with the Morongo Band…

Sacramento Bee – The signs of decay linger on Virginia Street, the main casino corridor in “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Pawn shops and cut-rate motels line up alongside the high-end hotel towers. The strip is still pocked with shuttered casinos, victims of the recession and burgeoning competition from Northern California’s Indian tribes. But signs of comeback – slow and steady – are evident as well. Construction crews are turning the old Fitzgeralds casino, closed since 2008, into the outdoor-themed Whitney Peak Hotel. A small slot-machine parlor called Siri’s Casino soon will open next door. In nearby Sparks,…

The Press Democrat – Rival attempts to legalize Internet poker in California are underway in the Capitol, setting the stage for a lobbying and political showdown over a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Two measures unveiled on Feb. 21, the deadline to introduce new bills for the year, would authorize online poker websites, letting gamblers participate from anywhere they can access the Internet. Similar efforts failed last year after heated negotiations between tribal interests and lawmakers ended without an agreement on the final form of the complex legislation. This year, again, there are divisions. “There are a…