Key points:
- With the new casino, there would be three gaming facilities in Sonoma County
- Other Tribal nations have pushed back against the decision, calling it a travesty
The Biden administration has given the Koi Nation the green light to move forward with a casino development project in Northern California, according to a Press Democrat local report.
Approval came down from the US Department of the Interior, the body that oversees Tribal gaming.
Koi Nation Tribal Council Chairman Darin Beltran told local news, “Today represents a historic moment of opportunity and justice for the Koi Nation.
“The government’s approval fills our hearts with promise and hope. The Koi Nation has been afforded for the first time in over a century a real opportunity to build a sovereign land base that will provide economic development, self-governance, and a bright future for current and future generations of our tribal citizens.”
However, opponents of the decision have labeled the DOI’s approval as a “travesty.”
Graton Rancheria Chairman Greg Sarris told local news that the decision was like “a bad Hollywood corruption movie.”
Good to know: The Tribe plans to build its casino near Windsor
He further commented, “It’s a travesty and a political move that was very carefully timed by the Koi and the Department of Interior, to do this during an election year and to railroad this through at the 11th hour. This is shamefully handed down just before the current team at Interior turns out the lights.”
In related news, the federal government recently gave Coquille Tribe the greenlight start its casino development project in Medford, Oregon.
The project was approved by the US Department of the Interior January 10. This was the final step in a 13-year process for the Coquille Tribe’s latest casino.
The Tribe submitted an application in 2012 to build a 30,000-square-foot casino on its 2.42-acre Medford property.
