Officials hope Obama lifts gaming 'moratorium'

Friday, December 5, 2008  

Officials in Romulus, Michigan, believe the Bush administration has imposed a moratorium on off-reservation gaming.

The city has been talking with the Hannahville Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians about hosting a casino. But officials said they were told the Bureau of Indian Affairs wasn't going to make any decisions on any proposal.

With president-elect Barack Obama coming on board, the city hopes the situation will change. "I think that once there’re more Democrats in Washington, and more people who are interested in helping Michigan, we will turn this around," Mayor Alan Lambert told The Journal Newspapers.

BIA officials have repeatedly denied the existence of a moratorium on gaming but at one point former assistant secretary Carl Artman said he wasn't processing land-into-trust applications for off-reservation sites until he came up with a policy. He finally issued a guidance memorandum in January of this year.

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Casino support could change (The Journal Newspapers 12/4)