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Governor Gregoire Involve in Casino Gaming Compact Issue
On June 12th, 2008, Governor Chris Gregoire is enjoying the benefits from the more than $650,000 in campaign contributions from Indian tribes that hit the big time in 2005 when she dismissed a gaming compact worth more than $140 million annually for the state. Unlike the other twenty states that earned millions of dollars for profit sharing agreements for tribal gaming, Washington does not receive money from the tribal facilities under the gambling compact that Gregoire negotiated with the Spokane Tribe.
According to the Governor's spokesperson, Pearse Edwards, Gov. Gregoire walk away from the 2005 gambling compact that included profit sharing in an attempt to keep gaming to a minimum and after listening to the views from different groups. But gaming analysts commented that the state's arrangement, which grants the governor the power to approve or disapprove gaming agreements with the Indian tribes and give permission to those tribes to contribute to political campaigns, is ethically questionable but is not considered to be illegal.
University of Nevada-Las Vegas professor William Thompson commented that it is considered to be a payout. Professor Thompson has been reviewing tribal gaming since 1988. He said that Governor Gregoire should not accept any contributions to her campaign or her political party.
Even Gov. Gregoire's party mates questioned the agreement. The main part of the Indian tribe contribution came from Indian tribes that are not in favor of the 2005 gaming agreement that Gregoire dismissed. Pearse Edwards dismissed claims regarding the claims of the critics that both parties benefited from the gaming compact issue.
Edwards commented that they are bound by federal law to negotiate a gaming compact with the Indian tribes in a government to government status. The final gambling compact that was negotiated by Governor Gregoire included a clause that will allow other Indian tribes to expand their gaming operations without sharing any of their profits. 27 tribes out of the state's twenty-nine tribes signed on the Spokane compact although not all of them operate casino facilities.
Date: Monday, June 30 , 2008
As Reported by: Brian Letendre