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EXHIBIT 4(a)(5)

RELEASE

THIS RELEASE is entered into this 11th day ofOctober, 2001 by and among INTERNATIONAL THUNDERBIRD GAMING CORPORATION, afor-profit Canadian corporation ("ITGC"), its assignee, THUNDERBIRD GREELEY,INC., a for-profit Colorado corporation ("Greeley") its assignee, SUPPORTCONSULTANTS, INC., a California for-profit corporation ("SCI") collectivelydoing business with the Viejas Band of Mission Indians ("Viejas") as VT HOPLANDJOINT VENTURE ("Holder") and the HOPLAND BAND OF POMO INDIANS ("Tribe"), afederally recognized Indian Tribe .

RECITALS

| A. |   | Viejas and ITGC, doing business as Holder,    previously entered into various agreements with the Tribe for the financing,    design and construction of a gaming facility on the Tribe's Hopland Indian    Reservation. These agreements consisted of: (1) that certain Limited    Recourse Promissory Note dated as of December 20, 1996, pursuant to which    the Tribe promised to pay Holder Three Million One Hundred Seventy Eight    Thousand Eight Hundred and Eight-two Dollars ($3,178,882.00) ("Note"); (2) a    Project Funding Agreement dated as of June 7, 1996 ("Project Funding    Agreement"); (3) a Loan Agreement dated as of June 7, 1996 ("Loan    agreement") and (4) a Settlement Agreement and Release dated December 20,    1996 (documents 1 through 4 shall hereinafter be referred to collectively as    the "Enterprise Financing Documents"); and |
|----|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| B. |   | On June 8, 1996 IGTC assigned all of its right,    title and interest in the Project Funding Agreement and the Loan Agreement    ("Loan Agreements") to Greeley and on July 1, 1998 Greeley assigned all of    its right, title and interest in the Loan Agreements to SCI.; and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| C. |   | On January 1, 2000, IGTC, Greeley, SCI and the    Tribe entered into a Modification and Reaffirmation of the Project Funding    and Loan Agreement in which the parties agreed that the Loan Agreements were    still in effect; that no party was in default of those Agreements; that the    Tribe would commence monthly payments in accordance with the Loan Agreements    beginning on January 1, 2000 and would continue to make such monthly    payments until April of 2004 and that the Tribe would make its payments    under the Loan Agreements by paying one-half of the payment to International    Thunderbird Gaming Corporation and one-half of the payment to Viejas; and                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| D. |   | At present, the outstanding amount due to    Holder under the Note is One Million Five Hundred Seventy-six Thousand Seven    Hundred Eight-four Dollars ($1,576,784.00), and the present amount due ITGC,    Greeley and SCI (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Thunderbird")    under the Note, as their one-half interest, is Seven Hundred Eighty-eight    Thousand Three Hundred Ninety-two Dollars ($788,392.00).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| E. |   | The Tribe has agreed to pay and Thunderbird has    agreed to accept, as full and complete payment and satisfaction of all sums    due to Thunderbird as its one-half interest under the Enterprise Financing    Documents, the total sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00)    ("Pay-off Amount"); and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| F. |   | To induce the Tribe to pay Thunderbird the    Pay-off Amount, the Tribe is requiring that Thunderbird execute a release in    form and substance satisfactory to the Tribe pursuant to which the Tribe    shall be released from any and all obligations to Thunderbird arising from    or related to the Enterprise Financing Documents.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the payment by the Tribeto Thunderbird of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) and the mutualcovenants, conditions and promises contained herein, the receipt and sufficiencyof which as consideration is expressly acknowledged, the parties agree asfollows:

1.        Thunderbird, for and on behalf of themselves and all of their officers,directors, members, owners, attorneys, agents, representatives, heirs,successors and assigns (individually and collectively, the "ThunderbirdParties") acknowledges that the payment of the Pay-off Amount fully satisfiesthe Tribe's obligations to the Thunderbird Parties as their one-half interestunder the Enterprise Financing Documents, notwithstanding any other provisionsin the Enterprise Financing Documents to the contrary.

2.        Thunderbird does hereby, jointly and severally, fully and forever RELEASE,ACQUIT and DISCHARGE the Tribe and each of the Tribe's officers, directors,members, owners, attorneys, agents, representatives, heirs, employees,successors and assigns and all others who may have any interest in the matterherein released (individually and collectively, the "Released Parties") of andfrom all obligations, losses, liability, actions, claims, causes of action,demands, damages, costs and expenses whatsoever, known or unknown, absolute orcontingent, liquidated or unliquidated, which any of the Thunderbird Parties,jointly or severally, now have or may have in the future against any of theReleased Parties on account of, arising out of, based upon or related to theEnterprise Financing Documents or any of the transactions evidenced orcontemplated thereby or related thereto. 

           The parties expressly acknowledge and agree that they have been advised by theirattorneys that the above release waives the benefits of Sections 1542 of theCalifornia Civil Code, which provides:

"A general release does not extend to claims which        the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time        of executing the release, which if known by him would have materially        affected his settlement with the debtor."

           As used therein, "debtor" means the Released Parties; and "creditor" means theThunderbird Parties. The Thunderbird Parties being aware of said Section 1542hereby expressly waive and relinquish any right they, and each of them, may havethereunder, as well as under any other statutes or common law principles ofsimilar effect with respect to this Release.

           In connection with such Release, the Thunderbird Parties acknowledge that theyare aware that they may hereinafter discover claims, counterclaims or facts inaddition to or different from those which they now know or believe to exist withrespect to the subject matter of this Release, but it is their intention tofully, finally and forever settle and release all of the disputes anddifferences known and unknown, suspected or unsuspected, which do now exist, mayexist in the future or have existed arising out of or in connection with thereleased claims. The Thunderbird Parties agree that this Release shall remain ineffect as a full and complete release of the released claims notwithstanding thediscovery or existence of any said additional or different claims, counterclaimsor facts arising out of or related to the released claims.

3.         Theprovisions of this Release shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon theThunderbird Parties and the Released Parties. Thunderbird hereby represents andwarrants to the Released Parties that no person or entity other than theThunderbird Parties has any right to or interest in Thunderbird's one-halfinterest of Seven Hundred Eighty-eight Thousand Three Hundred Ninety-two Dollars($788,392.00) under the Enterprise Financing Documents and that, upon payment ofthe Pay-off Amount by the Tribe, the only amount remaining outstanding under theEnterprise Financing Documents will be Seven Hundred Eighty-eight Thousand ThreeHundred Ninety-two Dollars ($788,392.00) owed by the Tribe to Viejas. Each ofthe Thunderbird Parties hereby acknowledges and agrees to indemnify and holdeach of the Released Parties harmless from any and all claims, liabilities,losses, costs and expenses, including court costs, attorneys fees and expertwitness fees, arising from the Tribe paying Thunderbird Parties the Pay-offAmount or any inaccuracy in the preceding sentence.

4.         ThisRelease shall not operate to release any claims the parties may later have forthe enforcement or breach of the obligations created by this release, includingthose matters for which the Thunderbird Parties have agreed to indemnify theReleased Parties.

5.         Eachperson executing this Release on behalf of a Thunderbird Party represents thathe or she has the authority to execute this Release on behalf of his or herrespective party and warrants and represents that he or she has the authority tobind to this Release the party he or she represents.

6.         Theparties to this Release shall sign all documents and do all acts necessary ordesirable in the reasonable opinion of the other party to effect the provisionsof this Release.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreementon the day and year first above written.

Date: October __, 2001                                                    HOPLAND BAND OF POMO INDIANS

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By: /s/  Sandra Sigala                     

Name: Sandra Sigala                  Its: Tribal Chairperson

Date: October 11, 2001                                                    INTERNATIONAL THUNDERBIRD GAMING CORPORATION

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By: /s/  Jack R. Mitchell

Name: Jack R. Mitchell                   Its: President and CEO

Date: October 11, 2001                                                    THUNDERBIRD GREELEY, INC.

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By: /s/  Jack R. Mitchell Name: Jack R. Mitchell                  Its: President

Date: October 11, 2001                                                    SUPPORT CONSULTANTS, INC.

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By: /s/Kevin McDonald Name: Kevin McDonald                  Its: President

 

 

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