The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is willing to pay gambling taxes to the state of Iowa, Chairman Larry Wright Jr. said in an interview with The Des Moines Register.
Wright said the state will have to drop its opposition to the tribe's proposed casino in Carter Lake. The state's gaming tax is 22 percent of gross gaming revenues.
"We have been very open to the possibility of being different," Wright told the paper.
The state has filed a lawsuit against the National Indian Gaming Commission over the proposed casino. The state claims the land doesn't qualify for gaming under the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act.
In a December 31, 2007, decision, the NIGC said the land qualifies for an exception in Section 20 of IGRA because it was taken into trust as part of the tribe's federal recognition. Congress restored the tribe to recognition in 1990.
The state of Nebraska is also suing over the proposed casino.
Get the Story:Tribe: We'll consider paying taxes (The Des Moines Register 7/1)