Chief William Bills of the Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada, who recently launched shonecasino.com, has called “for all tribes of California to strengthen their sovereignty,” to oppose the proposed online gambling bill.
Although not against the legalisation of online gambling, Bills is concerned about the course of Senator Rod Wright’s proposed bill. He sees supporting the bill as compromising Native Americans’ rights to self-governance and games of chance. By supporting the bill, Bills warned tribes will lose out in online gambling while major casino consortiums will control the majority of the business.
Senator Wright’s proposed bill would ask for $35m upfront from potential businesses for online poker licences. Bills said this is “a barrier that is impossible to breach” for smaller companies and entrepreneurs so the market would be dominated by the wealthiest, land-based casinos.
