Mississippi Choctaw foes pleased with BIA policy

Tuesday, January 8, 2008  

Opponents of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians said their voices were heard by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which rejected an off-reservation casino sought by the tribe.

The tribe sought approval to have 61 acres in Jackson County placed in trust for a casino. But the BIA said the site was too far from the reservation, where the tribe already operates a casino [PDF: Letter]

"The people's voice was heard. This puts another nail in the coffin on the casino. The people of Jackson County voted against it. The governor said he would never vote for it," Eleanor "Cissy" Jordan of Jackson Countians Against Choctaw Gaming told The Biloxi Herald.

The tribe owns 40 acres in the county that are already in trust. But that parcel was not taken into trust for gaming purposes.

"The Tribe has received a letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior. No decisions have been made at this time regarding the use of Tribal property in Jackson County. We are reviewing the contents of the letter and weighing our options to provide the best solution to serve the needs of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians," Miko Beasley Denson told WLOX in a statement.

Get the Story:
Choctaw casino is rejected (The Biloxi Sun Herald 1/8)
Choctaw's Jackson County Casino "Does Not Qualify For Indian Gaming" (WLOX 1/7)