Gov. Schwarzenegger announces Indian gaming agreements
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the completion of Indian gaming agreements with the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and the Yurok Tribe.
The agreements provide a fair contribution of revenues to the state, provide protections to patrons and employees, and ensure that local communities will be protected and receive compensation to mitigate off-reservation and environmental impacts.
"I welcome the willingness of the Yurok and Quechan tribes to sit down and successfully negotiate these agreements," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "These compacts are to the mutual benefit of both the state and the tribes and provide a strong foundation of trust and cooperation to build on into the future. They give the tribes the ability to achieve greater self-reliance while also providing the state and local communities with the resources and protections they require."
The Yurok and Quechan tribes are two of the largest tribes in the State, and the compacts authorize a single casino each at a single location on their reservations in Del Norte and Imperial County, respectively. (The 1999 compacts afforded each tribe the right to two casinos.)
The Yurok Tribe anticipates that its facility will generate $7 million annually in net win from the operation of its slot machines, and the Quechan Tribe anticipates that its new facility will generate around $59 million annually.
In each case, the tribes will provide a revenue contribution to the State based on a percentage of their net win from the operation of their slot machines, based on a sliding scale starting at 10%. The two compacts are anticipated to provide the state with approximately $7 million in revenue per year. In addition, the tribes have agreed to enter into intergovernmental agreements with their local communities to mitigate impacts on infrastructure, the environment, fire protection, law enforcement, public safety, gambling addiction, and emergency medical services. Like previous compact agreements reached by the Governor, the tribes have also agreed to important protections for both employees and patrons.
The compacts announced today must be ratified by the State Legislature and then approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The compacts will be available for viewing later this morning on the Governor's website , by linking off this press release.
