The Fresno Bee gets it right
The North Fork tribe and Stations Casinos of Las Vegas want to build a 200-room hotel and casino on 305 acres at Avenue 17 and Highway 99. It would include 2,500 slot machines, and other gambling options.
Attempting to build a casino on a major California freeway is nothing more than reservation shopping by the tribe and its Las Vegas sponsors.
They correctly believe that it would be a lucrative location because of the freeway access throughout the San Joaquin Valley. But the amount of gambling revenue generated shouldn't be a consideration.
If this casino site is approved, other tribes will be given an incentive to go reservation shopping in populous areas of the state. That was never intended by California voters when they approved measures more than a decade ago to expand Indian gaming in the state.
The North Fork tribe could remedy this situation by seeking land in a rural area closer to its traditional homeland. The proposed site on Highway 99 is 38 miles from North Fork.
Gov. Brown should move quickly to oppose the Highway 99 proposal. It's time to end this unwise plan to expand Indian gambling.
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