Running Aces president and CEO Taro Ito, above, says that all he wants to do is compete on a level playing field. But tribal interests dismissed his lawsuit as a stunt designed to \u201cmislead the public\u201d and \u201cinfluence the legislature.\u201d (Image: The Business Journals)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLast month, the Columbus, Minn.-based racino sued the Grand Casino Hinckley, Grand Casino Mille Lacs, and Treasure Island Resort. Running Aces claims they conduct class III card games that aren’t covered by their tribal-state gaming compacts, such as Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold\u2019Em.<\/p>\n
The Grand Casinos are owned by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Treasure Island belongs to the Prairie Island Indian Community.<\/strong><\/p>\nIn an amended complaint filed Tuesday, Running Aces added Mystic Lake and Little Six Casinos, which are owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC).<\/p>\n
\u2018IGRA Violated\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe racino accuses all five casinos of violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), as well as state laws, by operating not only class III card games but also \u201cvideo games of chance,\u201d such as slots.<\/p>\n
The tribes are permitted by the state to offer these games under the terms of their compacts. Minnesota was the first state to sign compacts with its federally recognized tribes after the enactment of IGRA in 1988.<\/p>\n
Many believe lawmakers blundered by failing to negotiate revenue-sharing provisions. The state isn’t permitted to renegotiate any of these compacts without the tribes\u2019 approval.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Minnesota criminal code \u201cspecifically prohibits and makes illegal the playing of electronic video games of chance for any person,\u201d as the lawsuit notes.<\/p>\n
This is something the tribes \u201cknow only too well,\u201d per the lawsuit. When Running Aces applied to the Minnesota Racing Commission to \u201cmodestly expand its \u2018dealer assist\u2019 table games,\u201d the SMSC objected on the grounds that \u201cvideo games of chance are not permitted in Minnesota,\u201d the suit states.<\/p>\n