Tigua Tribe asks BIA for casino in New Mexico

Wednesday, January 17, 2007  

$stalker The Tigua Tribe of Texas has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs for approval to open a casino in New Mexico.

The tribe filed a land-into-trust application for 10 acres near Chaparral. The site is about 15 miles from the reservation in nearby Texas.

"The Pueblo will request the governor of New Mexico for permission to engage in gaming activities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act as provided by said Act and for a compact with New Mexico," the tribe said in its application, The Albuquerque Journal reported.

The tribe operated a successful casino on its reservation until it was shut down by the state of Texas. The tribe is hoping for a change in state law to reopen the casino and is also working with the Interior Department on possible Class III gaming options.

At least two other Pueblos want to open off-reservation casinos in southern New Mexico. The ancestors of the Tigua Tribe used to live in New Mexico

Get the Story:
Texas Tribe Out to Build N.M. Casino (The Albuquerque Journal 1/17)