Coquille Tribe acquires properties in anticipation of a new casino

Friday, September 7, 2012  

The Coquille Tribe of Oregon is planning on opening a second casino.

The tribe paid about $2.275 million to acquire two properties totaling about five acres. The tribe is also leasing an 18-acre golf course adjacent to the properties.

Details will be announced today. "We want to keep dollars in the local community," Chief Kenneth Tanner told The Medford Mail Tribune. "Commercial casinos' money goes to outside investors; we want to keep it inside the community."

The tribe will submit a land-into-trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the five areas. The process could take a year or more.

"There are two tracks to putting land in trust, legislative and administrative, and we do the latter," Tanner told the paper.

The tribe was restored to federal recognition through an act of Congress in 1989. The Coquille Restoration Act states that the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 "shall" apply to the tribe.

Another section states that the BIA "shall" accept up to 1,000 acres in trust for the tribe. Additional acquisitions will be processed under the IRA, according to the law.

The tribe operates the Mill Casino, over three hours driving distance from the Medford properties.

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High rollers (The Medford Mail Tribune 9/7)