The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians hasn't revived plans for an off-reservation casino but Gov. Haley Barbour (R) is already saying it's "not going to happen."
The tribe already has 40 acres off the reservation in trust and submitted a land-into-trust application for an additional 61 acres in hopes of building a casino. The land is in Jackson County, on the Gulf Coast. The Bush administration rejected the proposal under a 2008 "guidance memo" that made it nearly impossible for tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations. But now that Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk has rescinded the policy, the media is talking about the casino again. "The citizens of Jackson County have voted against having casino gaming," Barbour told The Mississippi Press. "In Mississippi, that should dispose of the issue. I have consistently opposed any expansion of gaming beyond the counties where they have it now." Get the Story: