The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska plans to announce partnerships to build a major casino in Iowa.

Chairman Larry Wright said the tribe's facility will rival commercial casinos in Iowa. "It's not going to be a rented mule in the market," Wright told The Omaha World-Herald. "We plan to be a significant player."

The tribe first has to survive legal challenges being made by Nebraska and Iowa. The states claim the tribe doesn't have a right to engage in gaming at a 5-acre site in Carter Lake, Iowa.

During the land-into-trust process, the tribe promised not to use the site for gaming. But the tribe changed its mind after a change in leadership.

The National Indian Gaming Commission said it was worried that the tribe was making false promises. But the agency's December 31, 2007, decision sanctioned gaming at the site.

The tribe is based in Nebraska but Carter Lake is one of its Congressionally-designated service areas. The tribe lost its reservation after being terminated by the federal government.

Get the Story:
Poncas think outside the box on casino (The Omaha World-Herald 7/21)
Leaders hope offer to pay tax will sway Iowa to OK project (The Omaha World-Herald 7/21)