Casino Stalker | Legislation | Litigation

Arizona tribes back at war on off-reservation casino measure

Friday, November 18, 2011

The Gila River Indian Community and the Tohono O'odham Nation are back at war over an off-reservation casino.

Greg Mendoza, the governor-elect at Gila River, welcomed approval of H.R.2938 by the House Natural Resources Committee. He said the bill blocks an "illegal" off-reservation casino, The Arizona Republic reported.

"This illegal, off-reservation casino should not be allowed to go ahead because it's wrong to break the promise tribes made to the voters of Arizona," Mendoza told the paper.

But Tohono O'odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said the dispute is really about money. Gila River's casino would threatened by a new establishment in the Phoenix area.

"Despite a desperate effort to mislead members of Congress, the legislation is nothing more than an attempt to shield special interests from competition," Norris told the paper.

The two tribes are still battling it out in court over the Tohono O'odham Nation's land-into-trust application. The tribe owns 135 acres in the Phoenix area.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is due to hear oral arguments in the coming months.

Get the Story:
Glendale-area casino-ban bill passes hurdle (The Arizona Republic 11/18)

Committee Notice:
Full Committee Markup on H.R. 200, H.R. 205, H.R. 1545, H.R. 2027, H.R. 2070, H.R. 2087, H.R. 2454, H.R. 2236, H.R. 2336, H.R. 2362, H.R. 2606, H.R. 2719, H.R. 2834, H.R. 2938, H.R. 3117, H.R. 3404 and S. 535 (November 17, 2011)