Anti-Indian group calls Oneida Nation casino illegal

Wednesday, March 28, 2007  

An anti-Indian and anti-treaty rights group says the Oneida Nation's casino in New York is illegal.

But Upstate Citizens for Equality doesn't want the Turning Stone Resort and Casino to be shut down. Instead, the group wants the tribe to obtain state approval to continue operating the facility.

UCE won a lawsuit that invalidated the tribe's compact with the state because it wasn't approved by state lawmakers. The Interior Department is now reconsidering the status of the casino.

UCE, however, says it's a state issue. "In reality, the only entity that can close down the casino because it's an illegal operation is the state," UCE president David Vickers told The Utica Observer-Dispatch.

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Group questions Department of Interior's role in Nation decision (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 3/28)