Deal for off-reservation casino deemed illegal

Tuesday, April 19, 2005  

A controversial deal for an off-reservation casino near Denver, Colorado, is unfair to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the National Indian Gaming Commission has ruled.

In an internal memo reported by The Denver Post, the NIGC said the tribes' agreement with the Native American Land Group is unfair. "The development agreement enables NALG to collect large amounts of money, over a potentially lengthy period of time, for doing nothing - performing no ongoing services for the tribes and ... giving the tribes nothing in return," the NIGC's acting general counsel Penny J. Coleman said.

NALG is a consortium of Alaska Native and other business interests. The group says it will give the state $1 billion a year for allowing an off-reservation casino.

Get the Story:
Tribes' casino deal found to be illegal by U.S. regulators (The Denver Post 4/19)