Land designed for California families now will be home to a casino, thanks to a loophole in the federal bureaucracy that is taking communities by surprise.
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria has been given land in Rhonert Park, Calif., to build a casino.
Chad Hills, analyst for gambling research and policy at Focus on the Family Action, described the tactic as "reservation shopping" — in which a tribe claims land that it says it once occupied.
“A tribe in one state can choose a segment of land in a highly populated metropolitan area, or whatever, and build a casino there," he said. “Citizens and legislators really have little or no say in the matter.”
Marilee Montgomery, community outreach coordinator for Stop the Casino 101 Coalition, said she is concerned about the impact of the Rhonert Park casino.
“The problems that come along with casinos include crime, from petty theft to loan sharking," she said. “The facility expects 28,000 people every day.
"We know that the whole nature of the community’s going to change.”
