SIGA: playing the odds with new Casinos.

Perhaps the wet, mucky, soggy, rain-filled day that was the backdrop for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority's (SIGA's) sod-turning ceremonies on June 2 at Whitecap Dakota First Nation was more than just the well-attended, ceremonial, proud day it was. One could argue that the day served as a metaphor for the young, ambitious gaming company which has seen its business entity soar like an eagle in its short, eventful--at times tumultuous--yet highly successful 10-year history.

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Despite the rain turning the sod to mud and the venue's access road into an off-roading rally adventure, it couldn't turn away the hundreds in attendance or stop the sod-turning ceremony. Nor could it dampen the spirits of those in attendance. It was, in fact, just another obstacle for SIGA to overcome, which they did without even blinking an eye.

Of course, among the 300-plus in attendance were representatives from the seven First Nations of the Saskatoon Tribal Council who are serving as partners for SIGA's newest venture, the Dakota Dunes Casino and Resort. But there was also a mixture of people from other First Nations--from within Saskatchewan and beyond--leaders from Saskatoon's business community, municipal and provincial politicians, media, interested onlookers and well-wishers.

About the only noticeable absence was any presence from the provincial government, which certainly raised some eyebrows--albeit quietly--based upon the acrimonious history between the provincial NDP government and SIGA. For it was a Roy Romanow-led regime that initiated what turned out to be a hostile raid by RCMP officers at the Bear Claw Casino on White Bear First Nation near Carlyle, SK, in 1993. This raid was a notorious start to what was a highly contentious and emotional part of the history between First Nations and the provincial government regarding gaming in Saskatchewan. Ultimately it was resolved through an exemption by the federal government, which then led to the provincial 1995 Gaming Framework Agreement, and hence, SIGA was born.

SIGA's success in the ensuing 10 years has been remarkable, despite a brief lapse in regulations, policy and controls under the former regime for which former SIGA CEO Dutch Lerat became the lightning rod and subsequent fall guy. His replacement, a young, bright, articulate and ambitious business professional whose business acumen came through the banking and gaming industries, Edmund Bellegarde, has been instrumental in seeing the organization through the free-spending days of Lerat. The result has been a proactively regimented system that unilaterally developed policies and procedures that were so effective that they were later adopted by the Romanow administration as sanctions to be imposed under the provincial Liquor and Gaming Authority.