Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) does not support off-reservation gaming, Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia (D) said.

The Ute Tribe of Utah wants to open a casino near its trust land in Colorado. And a group of non-Indian developers is pitching a casino in the same part of the state.

Neither proposal has been submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In the case of the Sleeping Giant Group, a tribe hasn't even been identified.

Nonetheless, the Hickenlooper administration is firm on its opposition to off-reservation gaming. "We thought it would be in their best interest if we let them know ahead of time how we felt," Garcia told The Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Hickenlooper's first term is up in two years. Garcia conceded the casinos might end up before a future governor.

Get the Story:
Hayden casino lacks support of current Colorado governor (The Steamboat Pilot & Today 9/18)

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