Casino Stalker | Litigation

It's tribe against tribe for some off-reservation gaming projects

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

States and non-Indians have been behind two big land-into-trust disputes -- Salazar v. Patchak and Carcieri v. Salazar -- but tribes are also fighting one another in the off-reservation gaming battle.

In Washington, the Spokane Tribe wants to open a casino in Airway Heights. The project faces opposition from the Kalispel Tribe, which already operates an off-reservation casino in the same city.

The Kalispels are one of only three tribes that have won federal and state approval for an off-reservation casino. The Spokanes are following the same process for the West Plains Mixed-Use Development project.

The Cowlitz Tribe isn't technically seeking an off-reservation casino in Washington. As a newly recognized tribe, the Cowlitz don't need state approval for the Cowlitz Casino Resort.

But the tribe's project is being challenged in court by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon, another recently recognized tribe. Non-Indians and local governments are also fighting the Cowlitz casino.

Get the Story:
Washington state tribes face off over casinos, land (The Bellingham Herald 7/9)