COARSEGOLD, Calif. — When it comes to controlling California’s flashy Las Vegas-style casinos, the stakes are enormous for tribes who own the gambling operations that generate billions of dollars a year to sustain American Indians across the state.
With this backdrop, several tribes in the past two years have fallen into nasty, sometimes violent, power struggles pitting factions and families against one another.
The most recent case, involving the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians near Yosemite National Park, climaxed in an armed raid Oct. 9, when a security team led by former tribal leader Tex McDonald stormed the casino, causing gamblers to flee.
The National Indian Gaming Commission, which regulates Indian casinos, and a federal judge shut down the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, citing safety concerns. Charges have been filed against 15 men.
Indian casinos generated $28 billion last year from 449 casino operations in 28 states, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission.