CDC Gaming Reports interviewed Manatt's June DeHart, a partner in the firm's Federal Government Affairs and Public Policy practice, for an article on the debate over off-reservation casino expansion.
As reported by CDC Gaming Reports, the defeat of Proposition 48 in California is a negative way to end the year for proponents of off-reservation casino expansion, but the battle over tribes seeking to take land into trust for the purpose of building casinos is far from over. Indian gaming was originally limited to existing sovereign tribal reservations, but as revenues have flattened due to the recession and new competition, many tribes have gotten the blessing of the Obama Administration to build casinos on cherry-picked sites near major population centers, sometimes hundreds of miles from their historic lands. The administration's support for these projects stems from Obama's goal of expanding opportunities for Native Americans.
However, critics say Obama is overstepping Congress's original intent by approving controversial off-reservation casinos. "It's basically changing the law by executive action", said DeHart. "Their goal is to provide more casinos to tribes, and if they have to approve off-reservation casinos to do it, then that's what they will do."