Navajo Nation Council approves liquor at casino

Friday, February 1, 2008  

The Navajo Nation Council on Thursday narrowly approved a bill to allow the sale of liquor at its first casino.

The bill passed by a vote of 38-36. "I assumed it was going to be close because it was a sensitive issue," Navajo gaming chief Bob Winter told the Associated Press.

Supporters said the casino, which will be located near Gallup, New Mexico, would not succeed without alcohol. But critics said the sale of liquor would contribute to social ills that plague the reservation, which is dry.

The casino is scheduled to open sometime this summer.

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Booze bill squeaks by in Navajo council (AP 2/1)