New York tribes haven't submitted off-reservation gaming bids

Thursday, July 1, 2010  

In a June 18 memo, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told the Bureau of Indian Affairs to move forward with nine off-reservation gaming applications but none are for casinos in New York, according to The Middletown Times Herald-Record.

Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, state lawmakers authorized up to three tribal casinos in the Catskills, an area near New York City. But tribes haven't been able to open any casinos despite support from the local community and every state governor since then.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe got the farthest in the process. Former governor Eliot Spitzer (D) backed the tribe's Catskills bid, marking only the fourth time in the history of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that a state has agreed to an off-reservation casino.

However, the Bush administration blocked the casino by saying it was too far from the tribe's reservation. The tribe has been looking to the Obama administration to rescind the controversial "guidance" document that was behind the decision but Salazar's memo doesn't address the issue.

Instead, it directs the BIA to consult tribes with pending applications before moving forward. That could help the Mohawks if the tribe resubmits its proposal.

Get the Story:
US flexibility on gambling hinted (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 7/1)

Relevant Documents:
Secretary Salazar Memo on Gaming Land Applications | Press Release: Interior Details Path Forward on Indian Gaming Policy

Off-Reservation Gaming Policy:
Guidance on taking off-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes (January 3, 2008)

Related Stories:
Salazar tells BIA to continue work on gaming land applications (6/28)