Having beaten the system and Gov. Doug Ducey (R), the Tohono O’odham tribe in Arizona is moving ahead with construction of its 
permanent, Class III casino, with an eye toward completion by spring of 2019. The tribe has been getting by with Class II games in a “big box” space eventually intended for back-of-house functions. It will offer 75,000 square feet of gaming space, up from the current 35,000. Although the tribe is now authorized to have table games, it won’t add any to Phase I, waiting until the proper Desert Diamond casino is finished. This has been such a long and bitter saga, it’s nice to report that it will have a happy ending.
* Casino gambling is spreading almost faster than the industry can keep pace. The next domino to fall may well be Thailand, currently in an interregnum caused by the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, with elections coming next year which could bring with them the legalization of gambling. A substantial black market exists already, despite laws so archaic you cannot even own more than 120 playing cards. (Bad news for Hoyle.) “Race betting and lottery games are permitted, but all other forms of cash gambling fall outside of the law. This has been the case since the Gambling Act of 1935 – which many argue is outdated and does not serve modern Thailand well,” writes Daniel Bennett.
He adds that “some Thai funerals even offer gambling to mourners as a modern custom.” Of course, the Thai ban has also been a boon to Cambodia, whose border casinos are popular with Thai tourists. It remains to be seen which company makes the first casino overtures to Bangkok, but our money’s on Las Vegas Sands. While Sheldon Adelson may be anachronistic in many respects, he’s got a keen eye for business opportunities and can move fast when he wants to.
* Adelson and other Macao casino operators got good news last month 
when casino revenues leapt 26%. Wall Street speculates that growth would have been even greater were it not for the damper of a visit by China‘s president, Xi Jinping. While the June numbers seem like cause of celebration, JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff waxes cautious, writing, “Given where valuations are … and our low confidence in VIP revenue and earnings, we don’t find the risk-rewards for our US-listed Macau centric gaming names all that compelling.”
* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has one more headache to cope with now that the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians has decided to sit on nearly $1 million it is obligated to share with the state. Why? It’s a protest against expansion by the Ho-Chunk Nation of its Wittenberg casino. The Walker administration has said that its hands are tied, so the Mohicans are pursuing their case in federal court. In the meantime, state-attached casino revenues will be going into escrow.”It’s difficult for us, because our casino is the only casino in the state that’s not on a major highway or a major through-way,” said tribal President Shannon Holsey. The Ho-Chunk have a casino in nearby Bowler, which they project will lose $22 million a year to a supersize Ho-Chunk facility.
