A small landless tribe in Northern California has met resistance over its proposal to develop a casino in the Sonoma County region. Although the tribe claims they have the necessary significant historical connection to the parcel of land, critics, including other ancestral tribes and figures within government, have accused the group of “reservation shopping” amid claims that the Koi Nation’s connection to the land is tenuous, at best.
California has strict gambling laws that prohibit gambling in most forms, except in tribal casinos. Local residents do travel outside the state to gamble in physical casinos, with many opting to use offshore casinos. Some of the best US poker sites can be accessed from California, providing games and big-money tournaments with players around the world. However, physical gambling in the state is only permitted in tribal casinos.
Tribal casinos have been permitted, by federal laws, since 1988 and allow tribes to build and run casinos on official tribal land. The laws also make allowances for those tribes that do not have official land. Tribes like the Koi Nation. The law permits these tribes to build casinos outside the location of ancestral land if they do not have a reservation and if they can show a “significant historical connection” between the tribe and the land area. A large portion of tribe members must also live near the land.
The Koi Nation originates from Lake County, which is approximately 50 miles away from the proposed site in Sonoma County. In 2019, a federal judge ruled that the tribe had the legal right to buy land to build a casino.
The Koi Nation has teamed up with the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and applied to have a 68-acre parcel of land granted casino building approval. The two groups want to develop a resort that would include 2,500 slot machines and a 400-room hotel.
An attorney for the Koi Nation said that they meet the criteria for having a significant historical connection but the proposal has come under fire. Graton Rancheria chairman Greg Sarris has said that the tribe has no real connection to the area and that they are cherry-picking land that already attracts a lot of tourists. He went on to say that the group has had applications in Solano and Alameda Counties rejected and said they are reservation shopping.
Koi Nation attorney Michael Anderson said that Sarris is just trying to protect his own financial and business interests.
However, Sarris isn’t the only one to oppose the plans. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed concerns that other sites are not being considered for the development and that accepting the application would be stretching the limits of the “restored lands” ruling. No decision has been made regarding whether the casino will get the go-ahead, as yet, but there is sure to be more debate in the coming weeks and months.