Poarch Band of Creek Indians requests casino compact in Florida

Tuesday, April 8, 2014  

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is asking Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to negotiate a Class III gaming compact.

In a March 24 letter, Chairman Buford Rolin said the tribe wants to use a one-acre site in Escambia County for a Class III facility. The land was placed in trust in 1984 so it presumably qualifies under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

“We would like to meet with your designated negotiations team as soon as possible," Rolin wrote Scott in the the letter, a copy of which was posted by The Pensacola News-Journal.

Some forms of Class III gaming, including slot machines and card games, are legal in Florida. So far, the only tribe with a compact is the Seminole Tribe, whose casinos are located on the southern part of the state.

Escambia County is in northwest Florida, near the Alabama border. Poarch Creek headquarters are in Atmore, Alabama.

Get the Story:
Poarch Band tribe seeks casino-style gaming in Escambia (The Pensacola News-Journal 4/8)