Navajo president appoints a gambling CEO

The president of the Navajo tribe, Joe Shirley Jr., appointed today Robert Winter for the position of CEO of the tribe's gambling board. One the tribal council confirms the appointment, Robert Winter, a New jersey attorney working with many other Indian tribes on casino projects, will be in charge of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise Board.

Navajo territory gambling "I'm looking forward to working with the nation to increase its potential to have fair and profitable gaming for its people," Winter said.

Winter was one of the three finalists interviewed for the position. He was a vice president for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut from 1993 to 1998, and before that, from 1989 to 1993 he served as an assistant attorney general in New Jersey, directly responsible for the investigation and prosecution of casino-related crimes in the state.

The Navajo tribe has the largest Indian reservation in the United States, which biggest part is in Arizona, and also parts of New Mexico and Utah. Gambling on the reservation was approved by the voters in 2001, although referendums on the issues have started as early as 1997.

04/17/2007