Associate deputy secretary Jim Cason hasn't made many high-profile decisions since taking control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in February but people are still debating his rejection of a gaming compact for an off-reservation casino.

Cason's letter [PDF] said the Bush administration has come to a new interpretation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. He said compacts for off-reservation casinos will not be approved when the land in question is not yet in trust.

The statement has opponents of off-reservation gaming elated. Cheryl Schmit of Stand Up for California called it "outstanding." Tom Gede of the Conference of Western Attorneys General said: "It means the Bureau of Indian Affairs will engage in a more thorough environmental review of the land acquisition before they ever get to the gambling question."

But others don't read that much into the decision. "It's about government process. They're saying the land-trust process has to go forward before the other process can proceed," said Mark Van Norman of the National Indian Gaming Association, which doesn't have a stance for or against off-reservation casinos.

A spokesperson for Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) also said the decision was based on "a procedural issue only" and that he still supports the off-reservation casino for the Warm Springs Tribes.

Get the Story:
Plan for Off-Reservation Casino Causes Stir in Oregon (The Los Angeles Times 5/30)
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Off-reservation gambling limited by Interior policy (Copley News Service 5/30)
Ruling may slow off-reservation gambling drive (AP 5/29)