The Game May Be Over for Barona Indian Bingo

LAKESIDE —  The promoters of high-stakes bingo at the Barona Indian Reservation say they have halted the games to reorganize the management company. But a spokesman for the tribe said the games might not resume, amid reports of serious financial problems.

Fred Warner, general manager of American Management and Amusement Inc., said Monday that the games were halted after Sunday evening’s play, but will resume May 17.

He denied reports of cash flow problems, blaming a banking error for the fact that bingo hall workers’ payroll checks recently had not been covered by sufficient funds.

But Art Bunce, attorney for the Barona Indians, said AMA had run into financial problems in recent weeks. He said the company hoped to receive help from new majority owners--the same majority owners who operate bingo games at the Sycuan Indian Reservation, the only other Indian bingo game in San Diego County.

Bunce said, however, that the new owners have not pumped any money into the Barona games and the games were discontinued after Sunday night. Bunce speculated that bingo may not reopen at the hall at all, either because of the problems with the management company or objections from the tribal council.

Bunce said stopping the games violates the bingo management contract, a breach that could give the tribal council the right to close the games. In addition, a clause in the contract with AMA states that the tribal council must give its approval before management of the games changes hands; so far, he said, permission has not been given for the AMA ownership change.

Furthermore, that management contract prohibits the owners of the company from operating any competing bingo games within 100 miles of the Barona reservation, and the new owners of AMA are violating that agreement by maintaining their operation at Sycuan, Bunce said.

Bunce said Monday that the tribe also “is looking into” concerns that there may have been additional skimming of bingo money involving other persons. Stewart Siegel, former general manager of the Barona games, has pleaded guilty to four courts of felony grand theft.