"The Coquille tribe has acquired a bowling alley and adjacent property in Medford with the view to starting a casino. If that’s allowed, Oregon might as well scrap its constitutional ban on casinos.

But it should not be allowed. We have enough tribal casinos in Oregon, mostly in out-of-the way places. We don’t need them in the middle of Oregon cities.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act does allow tribes to start casinos on land they own away from reservations and taken in trust by the government on their behalf. But this is allowed only if the Interior Secretary finds them to be no detriment to the surrounding community and if the governor agrees.

There is no reason for the federal government to take the Medford property into trust. The tribe has other lands, and it already runs a casino, The Mill, in Coos Bay."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Tribal casinos in every city? (The Albany Democrat Herald 9/14)

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Editorial: Coquille Tribe goes against odds for new casino bid (9/12)