
Wilton Rancheria secures approval of gaming management agreement
The Wilton Rancheria is celebrating federal approval of an agreement for its long-awaited casino in California.The National Indian Gaming Commission approved the tribe’s management agreement with BGM Co, Inc, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming, on October 31. The deal represents one of the final steps in the tribe’s long journey toward self-sufficiency.“We are humbled and grateful to receive this approval, as we reflect on the positive impacts the National Indian Gaming Act has had for tribes across the country,” Chairman Raymond C. Hitchcock said in a press release.
The tribe will be building the casino in the city of Elk Grove. The 36-acre gaming site was placed in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on January 19, 2017, the last full day of the Obama administration.A year later, the tribe’s Class III gaming compact with the state of California went into effect. The management agreement itself was subjected to a environmental review process that took a little over three years to complete.“Approving this management contract does so much more than create a business partnership between Wilton Rancheria and Boyd Gaming,” NIGC Chairman Jonodev Chaudhuri said in a press release. “This management contract supports the tribe’s efforts to better their community in many ways ranging from investing in schools to providing medical support for their people.”