Compacts

Poarch Creeks reiterate offer to share gaming revenue with state

Friday, November 18, 2016

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians owns and operates the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Alabama. Photo from Facebook The Poarch Band of Creek Indians continues to press for a Class III gaming compact in Alabama despite long odds.

The tribe has offered to negotiate for years yet no state governor has come to the table. A bill that could have set talks in motion failed in August but Poarch Creek leaders aren't giving up.

"We've always been here and just ready to do that if that's the will of the state and the will of the people," Vice Chair Robert McGhee told the Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming, AL.Com reported. "It's got to be mutually beneficial."

The tribe has always been willing to share revenues from its gaming operation. But McGhee said any agreement must come with some form of exclusivity, according to news reports.

“You’ve had compacts dismissed and rejected because the negotiations were too extreme, or the tribe was giving up too much to get something in return,” he said, The Montgomery Advertiser reported.

The tribe operates three Class II facilities on its trust lands. McGhee said the tribe remains interested in a casino in the northern or northwest part of the state, according to the reports.

Read More on the Story:
Poarch Creeks willing to negotiate deal with Alabama, tribe leader says (AL.Com 11/17)
Poarch Band official open to preserving dogtrack bingo (The Montgomery Advertiser 11/17)
Poarch Creek adviser: north Alabama 'great opportunity' for casino (The Florence Times Daily 11/17)
Indian casinos in Alabama might be willing to share profits with state (WTVY 11/17)