Nevada County gamblers would have a shorter drive to throw legal dice if an Indian casino proposed for Yuba County is eventually built.

This week the Yuba County Supervisors voted 4-0 to send a letter to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs saying a casino proposed just outside of Marysville would not have an overall bad effect on the community. The letter is being revised to also say a casino would also cause some problems, according to board Chairman John Nicoletti.

Former Yuba County Supervisor Dan Logue had “fiercely opposed,” the casino in past years, Nicoletti said, but he is now the area’s state assemblyman and no one has been appointed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him.

The situation is clouded by conflicting actions surrounding the casino, Nicoletti said.

The supervisors entered into an agreement with the Oroville-area Maidus in 2002 to give the tribe 40 acres of land near the corner of Highway 65 and Forty Mile Road to build an eight-story hotel and casino.

In exchange, the tribe would have to give up its sovereignty rights and be treated like any other entity without federal Indian land protections, Nicoletti said. Some Yuba County residents fear the agreement and are wary that the tribe might still be able to do what it wants anyway, he added.

On the other hand, county residents voted against the casino project in a 2005 ballot advisory vote issued to the supervisors. The ballot issue passed 52 to 48 percent, according to Yuba County documents.

“They are separate actions that reflect the dichotomy of the situation,” Nicoletti said Thursday.

The letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs indicates that the casino would bring a $32 million annual payroll to the county and almost 2,000 permanent jobs.

To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.