Gaming briefs for October 29, 2004

Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

Coushattas turn over tapes to Senate committee

ELTON, La. -- U.S. Senate investigators looking into lobbying for Indian reservation casinos have asked the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana for audio tapes of tribal council meetings spanning five years.

Council member David Sickey said Tuesday some of the tapes requested include appearances by the tribe's lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and public relations consultant Michael Scanlon, a former aide to House Majority leader Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

"They discussed their grassroots lobbying effort against Texas gaming and wanted money without showing us a plan or anything," Sickey said.

Abramoff and Scanlon received more than $66 million from several Indian tribes for lobbying efforts over three years. Those payments are being investigated by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.

Both have denied wrongdoing.

State garners $18.7 million in revenue from casinos

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Department of Gaming on Thursday distributed more than $18.7 million in revenue from tribal casinos.

The contributions, which are allocated to a number of state funds, are given by tribes with casinos on a quarterly basis.

The amount that each tribe gives depends on how much revenue they generate -- with the greatest amount of revenue coming from the most profitable tribes.

The total distributed Thursday includes $2 million for casino regulation, $9.1 million for school funding and $4.6 million for emergency health services, said Gaming Department spokeswoman Christa Severns.

GOP runs ad about plan to have casinos pay 'fair share'

ST. PAUL -- With less than a week before Election Day, Republicans are blanketing the state with the notion that American Indians aren't paying their fair share.

A day after Gov. Tim Pawlenty met with leaders of two tribes, the Republican leaders of the House and Senate held a news conference about gambling revenue. And the state Republican Party started running a radio ad that touts the possibility of taking a slice of tribal casinos' revenue.

"Minnesota's casinos pay virtually nothing to the state. Nothing," the ad says. "In other states, casinos pay their fair share."

The 60-second ad -- running 600 times on 20 stations throughout the state over the next few days -- says Democrats are responsible for the monopoly tribes have on casinos in Minnesota.

Pawlenty recently proposed that the tribes contribute at least $350 million to the state, saying that would be about 25 percent of revenue (tribes say that would be a much larger chunk). In exchange, the state would allow them to hold their monopoly for a set period of time -- something not mentioned in the Republican ad.