Reno struggling, Indians getting rich

There's a lot of room to breathe in the casinos in Reno. Gamblers are not showing up in anywhere near the numbers of yesteryear -- in the days before Indian casinos began popping up all over northern California, where most of Reno's customers came from.

But head west across the Sierra range and you'll find crowds aplenty at the huge Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, a short drive from Sacramento, and about a two-hour drive away from Reno with no need to cross Donner Pass to get there.

Thunder Valley, with 2,600 slots and 98 gaming tables, is owned by the 255-member Auburn United Indian Community tribe, of which only five work at the casino. While the casinos in Reno struggle to make ends meet with far fewer visitors, the members of the once poverty-stricken Auburn tribe are getting rich. Estimates are that each member of the community now receives between $300,00 and $500,000 a year as their share of the casino's profits.

Thunder Valley angered the RV community last year when it banned RVs from its parking lots.