Poarch Creek Band presses for Class III gaming

Tuesday, May 20, 2008  

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians says it should be allowed to offer the types of games that are already legal in the state of Alabama.

But state officials have refused to negotiate a Class III gaming compact for more than a decade. So the tribe turned to the Interior Department, which is authorized to intervene under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Interior was moving forward with the Class III process when attorney general Troy King filed a lawsuit in federal court that challenges a provision of IGRA at issue in another case before the U.S. Supreme Court. King questions whether a "federal bureaucrat" can force the state to come to the table.

The Supreme Court will consider whether to take Kickapoo Tribe v. Texas on May 29. King said he is monitoring the case.

Get the Story:
Tribe still seeks lucrative casino gaming (The Mobile Press-Register 5/19)