Casino Stalker

Shawnee Tribe sees opposition to off-reservation gaming plan

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Artist's rendering of the Golden Mesa Casino in Guymon, Oklahoma. Image from Shawnee Tribe

A group called Panhandle Citizens for Truth in Gaming is opposing an off-reservation casino for the Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma.

The tribe plans to build the Golden Mesa Casino in Guymon, a city in the Panhandle. Local officials and business leaders are welcoming the project but the group doesn't think gaming will be good for the region.

"I am counting on that two-month window for people in the Guymon area, Texas County and the surrounding area to look at the effects of casinos and say no, that is not something we want here," opponent Guy Blackwell said at a meeting last night, KFDA-TV reported.

Blackwell was referring to a possible comment period on the tribe's land-into-trust application. The Bureau of Indian Affairs so far hasn't said whether it will host a public meeting on the casino plan.

Post by Golden Mesa Casino

The tribe gained federal recognition through an act of Congress in 2000. The law, as originally written, could have allowed the tribe to acquire land for a casino just about anywhere in Oklahoma.

After plans for a casino in Oklahoma City drew controversy, Congress amended the law. The tribe now has to meet the requirements of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act before opening a casino on newly acquired land.

As a restored tribe, the Shawnees could qualify for an exception in Section 20 of IGRA. But a prior attempt at the Oklahoma City site was rejected by the Bureau of Indian Affairs back in 2010.

According to the BIA's decision, the tribe failed to demonstrate a "modern connection" and a "historical connection" to the Oklahoma City site, which was more than 190 miles from tribal headquarters in Miami. Guymon is more than 400 miles from Miami so it appears that the tribe faces similar hurdles there.

Alternatively, the tribe can pursue the casino under the two-part determination provisions of IGRA. The situation is rare in Oklahoma but not unprecedented -- the Kaw Nation became the the first tribe in the state to complete both steps of the process in 2014.

Get the Story:
Newly formed group fights casino near Guymon (KFDA 3/24)