The Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona has filed a lawsuit against a poker room that opened up last month near the Tribe’s casinos. The suit was filed by the Tribe because they believe the poker room is violating state gambling laws and interfering with business at their two casinos.

The Tribe’s assistant attorney general for gaming, Kimberly Van Amburg, has stated that the Tribe should never have had to file the suit. Van Amburg stated: "The people who are responsible for this is the Office of the Attorney General, not the Pascua Yaqui Tribe."

It was late Monday evening when the suit was filed at the Pima County Superior Court. The suit asks that the Club Royale be closed. The club has been open since July 25th. Donna and Johnny Ray Rogers, along with Harold Lee and the International Card and Game Players Association are named in the suit. Lee founded the organization last May and grants licenses to card rooms in the area.

Lee has been the only person filed in the lawsuit to comment on the subject. He has stated that he does not understand how the Tribe can file a lawsuit because he thought that the Reservations were sovereign nations. Lee’s comment was: "I'm surprised that they're allowed to go into the courthouse. That would be like Costa Rica suing me."

Van Amburg has stated that since the clubs opening the attendance of the Tribes poker room has declined. A worker for the Tribe even stopped by the new Poker Room and saw several of the Tribe’s regulars playing in the new room.

Van Amburg also stated that the Tribe sent a letter to the Attorney General of Arizona, Terry Goddard, on August 8th. The letter stated the Tribe’s intentions to sue but the letter was not responded to. Robert Gillon, the Tribe’s interim attorney general has tried twice to call the office of Goddard to see if Goddard will intervene but has yet to hear a response.

Van Amburg has stated she does not understand why the Attorney General has allowed this to go on for as long as it has because in 2006 and 2007 investigations were conducted against card rooms run by Lee in another county.

At a recent meeting, Goddard stated that he does not feel it is the right time to pursue charges against Lee. In the mean time Lee has stated that the new poker room has seen almost 500 members in a month and that business is really booming.

Goddard has also stated that Lee’s actions might place the states gaming compact with the Indian Tribes in jeopardy. The Tribe’s are required to give some of their profits to the state and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe has already given $20 million.

Van Amburg has been quoted as saying: "If it is determined that gambling is allowed in the state that should be considered illegal. Then the tribes — not just this tribe — could take the stance that they're not just limited to what's in the gaming compact. If there is a determination that this is illegal, and it's being allowed, the tribes could suspend making those payments. That's a huge amount of money. It just seems to me that the state would be interested in taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen."


- 2008-08-20