It's been five years since the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona announced plans for an off-reservation casino and the tribe appears no closer to opening the facility.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe's land-into-trust application for the West Valley Resort. But the state of Arizona and two tribes with existing casinos continue to fight the acquisition in federal court so it hasn't been finalized.
The application is “still under consideration," a BIA spokesperson told The Glendale Star.
Even if the BIA prevails, the land has not been deemed eligible for gaming. More litigation is expected once a determination comes from the Obama administration.
Meanwhile, opposition in Glendale, the city closest to the gaming site, has been softening. Some council members are open to negotiations due to the costly nature of litigation and the numerous rulings that have gone in favor of the tribe.
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Tohono O’odham Nation – five years later
(The Glendale Star 1/16)
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