Key lawmaker supports a gaming compact with Poarch Band

Monday, May 7, 2012  

A key Republican lawmaker says the state of Alabama should enter into a Class III gaming compact with the Poarch Creek Band of Indians.

Rep. Jim Barton (R), the chairman of a committee that oversees the state budget, said the tribe could build up to six gaming facilities, at a minimum investment of $250 million for each. The state could take a share of the revenues, he said.

The tribe has requested compact negotiations for years but every governor has refused. Gov. Robert Bentley (R) is maintaining that position.

“[W]e are not interested in a compact with the Poarch Creek Indians, and we are not pursuing one," a spokesperson for the governor told The Montgomery Advertiser.

Get the Story:
Lawmaker supports compact with tribe on casinos (The Montgomery Advertiser 5/6)

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Editorial: Let voters decide on Poarch Creek gaming machines (5/3)