NIGC | Regulation

Cherokee Nation takes credit for NIGC's new facility regulation

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is taking credit for a regulation that requires tribes to submit new facility licenses to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission Director Jamie Hummingbird says the rule was developed due to litigation over the casino operated by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. The Keetoowah Cherokee Casino, which closed its doors on August 30 after 27 years in business, was located on land that was not held in trust or in restricted status.

The facility license regulation requires tribes to show that their gaming sites meet the definition of "Indian lands" under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. A notice must be sent to the NIGC at least 120 days before a new facility opens.

“One of the things they (NIGC) instituted after that, as part of our facility licensing requirements is to provide them notice, which allows them to look at the documents we have to provide which shows the land is in trust," Hummingbird told The Cherokee Phoenix.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs was prepared to place the UKB casino site in trust until the Cherokee Nation went to court and secured an injunction.

Get the Story:
UKB casino illegal for most of its 27 years (The Cherokee Phoenix 9/26)

Federal Register Notices:
Facility License Notifications and Submissions (September 24, 2012)
Facility License Standards (February 1, 2008)