Delbert Ray: Stop Tohono O'odham Nation from opening new casino

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Workers install gaming machines at the Desert Diamond Casino – West Valley Resort in Glendale, Arizona. The Tohono O'odham Nation plans to open the facility on December 20, 2015. Photo from Facebook

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Delbert W. Ray, the president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community calls on Congress to pass the Keep the Promise Act (S.152 | H.R.308) to prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation from opening a new casino in Arizona:

A comprehensive, decade-long plan built on misinformation and deception by the Tohono O’odham (TO) tribe, based in Tucson, has led to the development of a new Phoenix casino nestled in a highly-populated area – across the street from a high school, next to a church and 100 miles away from TO’s reservation.
This new casino is a direct breach of the assurance that TO gave voters and public officials in 2002. If the casino moves forward, it sets a bad precedent that could open the door to a wild-west expansion of casinos in Arizona, which is in nobody’s best interest.
The only way to stop this casino is for Congress to pass the “Keep the Promise Act” in order to ensure that the tribal gaming success story in Arizona continues. This legislation simply ensures that there are no new casinos built in the Phoenix area through 2027, upholding the original 2002 compacts.
TO’s breach of the public trust cannot be rewarded by enabling the tribe to bully its way to a fourth casino. Arizonans spoke loud and clear in 2002 and tribal nations and Arizona state officials heard them loud and clear. It is time that the federal government ensures that TO listens as well.