The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma won last-minute approval on Monday to keep its casino open.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved a land-into-trust application for two acres covering the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino. The decision stated that the site is within the former Cherokee Reservation.

Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars gaming on land acquired in trust after 1988. But Section 20 contains an exception for land within a former reservation in Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Nation has previously indicated it will fight the BIA's approval.

Get the Story:
Tahlequah Casino Will Remain Open (News on 6 7/30)
Keetoowah Casino in Tahlequah to remain open as trust (KJRH-TV 7/30)
Keetoowah Cherokee Casino to stay open (The Tulsa World 7/31)a

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