Casino Stalker | Litigation

Tohono O'odham Nation sues over off-reservation casino

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona filed suit against the Obama administration in hopes of forcing the Interior Department to make a decision on an off-reservation casino.

The tribe wants 134 acres in Glendale placed in trust for the $500 million West Valley Resort. The lawsuit says the land-into-trust application has been pending in Washington, D.C., for nearly a year without action.

"We have tried very hard to work with, not against, the Department, but at some point it became clear that the Department has simply stopped processing the Nation's application," Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said in a statement.

The tribe acquired the Glendale site in 2003. Normally, land acquired after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 can't be used for gaming.

But the law contains an exception for land acquired in connection with a land claim settlement. Congress passed the Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Act that says the Tohono O'odham Nation can acquire "unincorporated" land in Arizona and have it placed in trust.

In the history of IGRA, only two tribes have opened casinos in connection with a land claim settlement. But the Tohono O'odham Nation has seen significant opposition to its proposal.

Get the Story:
Ariz. Tribe Sues for Casino Application Approval (AP 3/22)
Tribe sues federal government over casino application (Phoenix Business Journal 3/22)
Tohono O’odham tribe sues for Glendale casino application approval (AP 3/22)
Tribe sues U.S. in push for Glendale casino (The Arizona Republic 3/23)
Tohono O'odham Nation files suit (Capitol Media Services 3/23)