Gambling Profits Payout Could Land Yakama Nation In Trouble

The Yakama Nation officials thought they were just doing something to help stimulate the economy in tough times. It turns out that the tribe may have to pay a much greater price for payouts that were made to tribal members from their Legends Casino revenue.

The tribe has been notified by the National Indian Gaming Commission that they were in violation of the Indian Regulatory Act. The tribe gave members $2,000 each from profits that came from the casino in December.

When these type payments are given out, the tribe must seek approval first. They did that in the Fall of last year, but they did not receive authorization to give out the payments until February.

Their original plan was to make one-time payments to help tribal members through the difficult economic times. They were not originally approved because the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of the Interior requested clarification for some of the wording in the plan.

Now, the tribe faces fines for the payments. It is possible that the fines could be as much as $25,000 per offense per day. With payments to 10,000 tribal members, that fine certainly could add up to a lot of money. Other tribes have made similar payments to their members from casino revenue, but they have received permission from the Department of the Interior.

September 6, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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