Tohono O'odham Nation waits on casino answer

Friday, October 16, 2009  

The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona is playing the waiting game on its proposed off-reservation casino.

The tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to place 46 acres in trust. The regional BIA office recommended approval of the land-into-trust application but a final decision, presumably from officials in Washington, D.C., awaits.

"The new Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, who oversees this issue and others, I think he needs some time to get his feet wet," tribal spokesperson Matt Smith told The Glendale Star.

The tribe is also part of a lawsuit that seeks to determine whether the city of Glendale annexed a portion of the 46-acre parcel. The outcome will affect whether the tribe can used the land for gaming without going through a cumbersome review process that requires state approval of the casino.

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Waiting game on casino decision (The Glendale Star 10/16)