Column: Oneida casino illegal despite DOI ruling

Friday, June 15, 2007  

"At last the Great White Father in Washington has spoken.

The gambling compact approved in 1993 for New York's Oneida tribe, which operates Turning Stone casino in Verona, will not be revisited after all and therefore remains in force.

The Oneidas themselves spun the Department of Interior announcement as a final victory over the status of Turning Stone. "This determination ... reaffirms what we have always known. Our compact is valid, and the enterprises of the Nation will continue to grow and prosper," said Ray Halbritter, the Oneida's celebrated spokesman.

Media reports widely parroted the same line. Those reports, however, are dead wrong.

Turning Stone is still illegal, and still teetering on the edge of a great abyss.

That's because, for one, the Interior folks did not revalidate the compact, as Halbritter claims. They merely refused to re-examine it. So it stands for now, warts and all.

But a more telling point is this: The original compact Halbritter is crowing over does not apply to the present casino called Turning Stone. The compact specifies that any Oneida casino must be "on Indian land," as in reservation land, to be valid."

Get the Story:
Fred LeBrun: Federal decision on the Oneidas' casino is not set in stone (The Albany Times-Union 6/15)

Another Story:
State share of casino revenue unlikely after federal finding (The Syracuse Post-Standard 6/15)