Spokesman – The Coeur d’Alene Casino is ready to shuffle up and deal. The casino is advertising a May 2 opening date for its new poker room, with executives saying that Idaho’s constitutional ban on poker games doesn’t apply to the tribal-owned casino. But the Idaho Lottery Commission has different views, setting up a potential showdown over the casino’s six poker tables. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe plans to offer Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha at the casino. Those are card games of skill with players competing against each other for stakes and no house bank involved, said Helo Hancock, the tribe’s legislative director. The…

Three years after the nation’s Tribal casino industry experienced its only annual gaming revenue decline in the 24 years since figures have been kept, the market is on an upswing. For the second straight year, Indian casinos nationwide combined for a new annual gaming revenue record, topping $28.13 billion in 2012. The 2 percent increase was a lower percentage jump than in 2011 when Tribal casino business grew nationwide revenues 3.4 percent, to $27.59 billion. That’s a cause for concern, said California economist Alan Meister, who compiles the figures for Casino City’s annual Indian Gaming Industry Report. “It was the…

Card Player – Some in North Carolina are considering letting a tribe within the borders of South Carolina make plans to open up a brand new casino in their state. The potential agreement is being considered by the administration of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, according to the Associated Press. The tribe is the Catawba Indian Nation. If approved and then built, the casino would likely be located along Interstate 85 south of Kings Mountain. It would be in Cleveland County. The tribe, however, is keeping mum on the potential project. A spokeswoman for the Catawbas denied that they are…

From Maricopa Monitor – The U.S. House is making another bid to block the Tohono O’odham Nation from building a casino on land it owns near the Arizona Cardinals stadium on the edge of Glendale. On a 35-5 vote, the Natural Resources Committee approved legislation this week that would let the tribe keep the land it purchased in 2003, a year after Arizona voters approved a measure giving tribes the exclusive right to operate casinos in exchange for a share of the profits. And it would not block the Tohono from  having the land made part of the reservation. But…

From Herald Online – The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Pueblo of Zuni applaud the bipartisan action of the U.S. House National Resources Committee who, today, approved H.R. 1410, the Keep the Promise Act. By a vote of 35 to 5 the Committee acted swiftly to reaffirm the commitments made to Arizona residents who voted “yes” on Proposition 202 — the Indian Gaming Preservation and Self-Reliance Act of 2002. Importantly, the action of the Congressional committee clears the way for the legislation to be considered by the full body of…

Duluth’s only casino opened its games to younger customers this week. Fond-du-Luth Casino dropped its minimum age for gambling from 21 to 18. “The primary reason for the change of policy is to be consistent with our sister property, Black Bear Casino, where the minimum age has always been 18,” said Maurice Ojibway, Fond-du-Luth’s general manager. Both Black Bear and Fond-du-Luth are run by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Ojibway noted that most casinos in the state welcome gamblers as young as 18. The Minnesota State Lottery sells tickets to people 18 and older, as well….