North Dakota attorney general Wayne Stenehjem said the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa won't be able to open a casino in Grand Forks because state law bans off-reservation gaming.

Stenehjem said a law he sponsored does not allow gaming at "any off-reservation location." The only exception is for certain lands held in trust for the Turtle Mountain Band as of the "effective date of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988."

But Grand Forks is not included in those lands. "There is not going to be a casino in Grand Forks. There is no reason to be optimistic," Stenehjem told The Grand Forks Herald.

The tribe is seeking to open the state's first non-reservation casino. But a bill pending in the Senate would block future off-reservation casinos.

Ken Davis, the chairman of the tribe, however, said the tribe won't fall under the new restrictions if the bill becomes law. He said the tribe has already started the application process under the current set of rules.

Get the Story:
GF CASINO: More than 'a long shot' (The Grand Forks Herald 3/31)
ONLINE EXTRA: North Dakota law prohibiting off-reservation gaming (The Grand Forks Herald 3/31)
Off-Reservation Casino Dispute (KFYR 3/30)