Fort Sill Apache Tribe welcomes NIGC review of casino

Monday, October 6, 2008  

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma hopes the National Indian Gaming Commission will allow a casino on ancestral land in New Mexico.

The tribe wants to operate a Class II facility on 30 acres in Akela. A May 19 opinion from the NIGC said the land couldn't be used for gaming because it was taken into trust after 1988 and doesn't satisfy any of the exceptions in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

But in response to new arguments raised by the tribe, the NIGC withdrew the opinion and is writing a new one. Chairman Jeff Houser called the move a positive one.

Gov. Bill Richardson (D) opposes the casino.

Get the Story:
Feds withdraw opinion on Fort Sill Apache tribe's Akela casino plans (The Las Cruces Sun-News 10/5)
Casino Near Deming Still in Play (The Albuquerque Journal 10/4)