Two Armed Factions Took Control of Different Sections of the Chukchansi Casino
U.S. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill closed down the Chukchansi Casino after an armed standoff between factions of the tribe erupted inside the casino. When the standoff happened, many gamblers inside were forced to flee the gaming floor with chips left on their tables.
Federal Judge Closed Operations
The California Attorney General asked the federal judge to close down operations, for the safety of the public. No date for the reopening of the casino has been named, according to the Fresno Bee newspaper. Judge O’Neill has scheduled a hearing this Wednesday to discuss the casino’s future.
The National Indian Gaming Commission earlier ordered the casino to be closed. The commission declared the casino a threat to public safety which “could result in serious injury or death”. Those close to the dispute which sparked the standoff say that two factions of the Chukchansi Tribe have had bad feelings since this last summer, at the latest.
Each Faction Controlled Part of the Casino
In August, one faction of the tribe was forced to relocate to a nearby tribal business center. They returned to the casino on Thursday night. By Friday, each faction controlled a portion of the casino. Both sides were unwilling to cede their territory to the other, as the day continued into Friday.
Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said that he had worried for weeks about escalating tensions between the two groups, which are disputing control of a casino about 40 miles north of Fresno, California. Sheriff Anderson says that around 500 patrons fled the casino on Thursday night, as the two groups were seizing control of different portions of the casino floor.
Negotiations between 20 Armed Gunmen
After customers cleared the gaming floor, the sheriff’s department negotiated with about 20 armed tribe members. No arrests were made and no one was injured seriously enough to be hospitalized. As of Friday, both the casino and hotel on the resort complex were being guarded by sheriff’s deputies.
Sheriff Anderson: “We Had to Stop This”
Sheriff Anderson said the department had hoped the two sides could work out their differences without a confrontation, but his people had to intervene when things escalated. Anderson said, “When they move the war into the casino, it meant we had to stop this. We have not been getting closer to a solution. If anything, we have gotten farther away.”
According to national tribal authorities, the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino has been mismanaged in other ways. The National Tribal Gaming Commission says it will close down the casino itself, if the tribe fails to provide audits and other financial documents by October 27. According to the commission, one audit of the books is 18 months overdue.
Vernon King Says Tribe Won’t Show the Books
Vernon King, the treasurer for the tribal council that had been ousted from the casino for the past two months, told the papers his group wants to collect the audit information needed to avoid the shutdown later this month. Such a eventuality would be a financial disaster for everyone involved, from tribe members to workers at the casino.
The Chukchansi Casino employs between 1,000 and 1,500 workers at any given time, while it pays out an average of about $450 a month to each of the 900 members of the tribe. Some of those people need the cash desperately, while a shutdown would damage the economy of Coarsegold and the neighboring communities. Rob Rosette, a lawyer for the group which has controlled the casino these past months, says the other side has refused to negotiate since August.
Tom Wheeler Called for Closure
Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler is one of those saying the closing of the hotel and casino would be a financially devastating to the area. Despite his concerns about the local economy, Wheeler says he urged authorities to close the casino immediately, when he heard about the armed standoff.
In the days since this story was first reported, patrons in the casino at the time of the standoff have claimed that there was at least one armed confrontation. Details are still emerging in this case and US Poker Sites Blog will report any further developments. Given the strong opinions of local officials in calling for the closure of a casino which employs 1,300 of their citizens, it is possible that the violence in this case has been under-reported.
