The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has completed a draft environmental impact statement and an economic impact study for its proposed off-reservation casino.
The tribe hired Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson to write the EIS. It will be sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs as part of the review process for the $34 million casino. The economic impact study was conducted by Casino Consolidated Systems. It states that the casino will attract 500,000 visitors a year by its third year of operation and will make a $55 million impact in its first year. The tribe is pursuing the casino under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The state governor's approval will be required if the BIA approves. The 90-acre site is already in trust but it wasn't acquired for gaming purposes so the tribe has to seek federal and state approval. The land is only a few miles from the reservation border. Get the Story: