NIGC rules UKB casino not on Indian land in long-running dispute

Monday, July 25, 2011  

The casino owned by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma is not on "Indian land," the National Indian Gaming Commission said in a decision last Thursday.

The tribe opened the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in 1991. The site is not held in trust but is located within the original Cherokee Reservation that was set aside by treaty.

However, NIGC Chairwoman Tracie Stevens said the land must be within a current reservation not a "former" reservation. She also said the federal government has never taken any steps to set aside the land for the benefit of the tribe.

But the tribe might have a shot if the Bureau of Indian Affairs places the site in trust. Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk recently reaffirmed his ability to acquire land for the tribe.

Until then, however, the NIGC said the casino is operating illegally. The agency sent a letter to state and federal authorities in Oklahoma, notifying them of "potential violation of state and federal law" by the tribe.

Get the Story:
Federal panel says Keetoowah casino in Tahlequah not on Indian land; court injunction stands (The Tulsa World 7/23)

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