Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Economy

PCI investing heavily in out-of-state casinos using un-taxed dollars from Alabama

STOCK

The Poarch Creek Indians are buying a billion-dollar casino in Pennsylvania using un-taxed dollars siphoned out of Alabama.

PCI is paying $1.3 billion for the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in a bid to expand the tribe’s lucrative gaming syndicate beyond the borders of Alabama.

According to lehighvalleylive.com, once the purchase is approved, the tribe, “plans to immediately invest $190 million into a 300-room hotel expansion and development of the No. 2 Machine Shop, possibly into an indoor water park.”

PCI is seeking to shelter its vast fortune in out-of-state investments as congressional leaders are questioning PCI’s legal status as a tribe under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Questions about the tribe’s standing stem from 2009, U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Carcieri v. Salazar, which holds that only tribes that were federally recognized in 1934, could benefit from the federal land restoration efforts. It is this recognition that allows PCI to offer electronic gaming and enjoy other federal benefits and protections.

However, PCI was not federally recognized until 1984, some 50 years after the cut-off date imposed by the Supreme Court.

In recent years, PCI has pushed Alabama’s congressional delegation for a “Carcieri fix,” to protect the tribe from any challenges to its status as a federally recognized tribe, but those efforts have been rebuffed by Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

As PCI’s fortunes have grown so has its influence over Republican politicians eager for ready cash.

U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne is leading efforts to gain a congressional solution to the tribe’s Carcieri problem but without Shelby’s support, it is a dead letter.

PCI has enjoyed a near monopoly over gaming in the state since Gov. Bob Riley closed the tribe’s competition during his bingo war.

According to several sources, Riley and former Business Council of Alabama CEO Billy Canary are in league with PCI to take control of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats. A move that would give the tribe nearly unlimited political power within the state.

Moving tax-free funds out of Alabama is just one of the latest moves the tribe is using to shelter its tax-free profits.

With the Sands acquisition, PCI is also looking at internet gaming and sports betting.

According to the lehighvalleylive.com report, Pennsylvania gaming regulators must approve the finalized plan.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

It is uncertain if Pennsylvania’s gaming regulators are aware of PCI’s questionable status as a federally recognized tribe or rumors of an investigation by the Department of Interior into suspect acquisitions.

Bill Britt is editor-in-chief at the Alabama Political Reporter and host of The Voice of Alabama Politics. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

More from APR

Congress

The bill appropriates more than $786 million for Alabama priorities, $232 million of which was secured by Britt.

Opinion

Alabama lost a humble, legendary genius on Christmas Eve. Willie Ruff is his name.

State

Only Alaska collected fewer dollars per capita than Alabama over this review period.

News

Recently, some citizens have publicly criticized the mayor for his actions regarding the Ozark-Dale County Public Library Board and his social media interactions with...