Casino Stalker

Sen. Bingaman urges DOI to deny Fort Sill Apache Tribe casino

Friday, December 2, 2011

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) is urging the Obama administration to deny a casino for the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma.

The tribe owns 30 acres of trust land in southern New Mexico. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has declared the land to be a reservation.

"It has come to my attention that the Department of Interior has recently approved a reservation proclamation for the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma on 30 acres of land near Akela, New Mexico. While it is my understanding that this proclamation is mainly a formality, I am concerned that the Fort Sill Apache have pursued this proclamation for the purpose of strengthening its case to establish a casino in New Mexico. I am in strong opposition to the Tribe's efforts and I urge you to deny any request to approve gaming on the Akela land," Bingaman wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, KRWG reported.

Since issuing the reservation proclamation, the Obama administration has not said whether a casino will be allowed at the site.

Get the Story:
Bingaman Opposes Tribal Casino (KRWG 12/2)
Bingaman restates opposition to Fort Sill gaming (AP 12/2)

Federal Register Notice:
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for the Fort Sill Apache Indian Tribe (November 28, 2011)