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Friday, March 29, 2024

Calif. AG sues Indian tribe over online bingo

Harris 150x150


SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - California Attorney General Kamala Harris recently filed a lawsuit against the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel for alleged Internet gaming.




The suit alleges the tribal nation, better known as Santa Ysabel band of Diegueno Mission Indians, began offering a “facsimile of bingo” to those off of the tribe's land, which is a violation of the compact the nation signed with the State.








According to the lawsuit, the tribe announced it would offer bingo online on Nov. 3 to those 18 years or older. Bettors would create an account on the website and put in credit card information to place bets, the complaint says.




The State also claims it believes most of the Internet gambling does occur on the Tribe's land, but state investigators were able to create an account and participate in the online gaming off of the tribe's land.




The State is asking the court to halt all further gambling on the nation's website and declare that the gambling online breaches the compact.




The lawsuit states the compact allows the tribe to conduct gambling on gaming devices and “any devices or games that are authorized under state law to the California State Lottery, provided that the (Tribe) will not offer such games through use of the Internet unless others in the state are permitted to do so under state and federal law.”




U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California case number 3:14-cv-02724


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