Off-reservation casinos face an "uphill battle" with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthrone in charge, a Bureau of Indian Affairs official said.

The BIA is reviewing two off-reservation casino proposals in Wisconsin. But George Skibine, the number two at the BIA, said it's not clear either will win Kempthorne's support.

"Given the secretary's position on off-reservation gaming, it is an uphill battle," Skibine told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The Menominee Nation hopes Kempthorne will say yes. The tribe and its supporters launched a newspaper ad and web site (www.casinocompetitionforwisconsin.com) to counter attacks from the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, which operates an off-reservation casino in Milwaukee.

The other off-reservation casino is being proposed by two Chippewa tribes. Skibine said a BIA decision on the Menominee casino could come by the end of the summer.

Get the Story:
Tribe counters casino criticism (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 7/10)
McReynolds supports Kenosha casino (The Kenosha Journal Times 7/10)
Menominee stage rally in the shadows of Potawatomi expansion (BizTimes Daily 7/9)