The
Kiowa Tribe is opening a new gaming facility in Oklahoma next week and is looking to the Trump administration to help with future projects.
The
Kiowa Casino in Carnegie, which features 117 gaming machines, debuts on March 21. It's located at the site of a former facility that's been completely refurbished.
"It is an attractive location, and we expect it to be successful from the opening based on all of the studies and projections," Chairman Matthew Komalty wrote in the
March 6 issue of the Kiowa News.
Plans are also in the works for two more casinos. The tribe is looking to the Trump administration to approve land-into-trust applications for sites in Hobart and in Elgin, Komalty said.
The tribe hosted
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke during his
visit to Oklahoma in January, Komalty noted. "Whether or not you agree with his politics, it is instrumental to have a personal relationship with people who can assist our tribe," the chairman wrote.
Komalty also pointed out another connection with the new administration.
John
Tahsuda, who serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian
Affairs at the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, is Kiowa.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was presented with a blanket by the Kiowa Tribe during his visit to tribal headquarters in Carnegie, Oklahoma, on January 18, 2018. Photo: U.S. Department of the Interior
"They will be instrumental in assisting us, in fee to trust applications, for the Hobart and Elgin projects that we are working on to establish new casino locations," Komalty said of Zinke and Tahsuda.
The tribe currently operates casinos in Devol and in Verden.
Read More on the Story:
Kiowa casino to open Carnegie location
(KFDX March 14, 2018)
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