BIA backs casino in Cherokee Nation land-into-trust application

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Bureau of Indian Affairs says the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma can engage in gaming on newly acquired land.

Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars gaming on land acquired after 1988. But it contains an exception that applies to land within a "former reservation" in Oklahoma.

A 17-acre parcel near Tahlequah qualifies for the exception, Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk said. The tribe plans to build a gaming hall there.

"The land going into trust fulfills two large elements of our mission,"Chief Chad Smith said in a press release. "It allows for continued economic growth for our hospitality industry, while also providing a large new facility for education.''

Get the Story:
Cherokees' new trust land gets federal OK for gaming (The Tulsa World 11/11)
Press Release: Echo Hawk Issues Tribal Gaming Determinations (BIA 11/10)