At least seven Oklahoma tribes are asserting claims to land in other states in hopes of opening casinos.

The Miami Nation, the Wyandotte Nation, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe and the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes are in various stages of the process. Some are just starting to file claims while others have been in the courts for decades.

Legal experts say Oklahoma tribes look elsewhere because the state bans most forms of Class III gaming. But they also note that most Oklahoma tribes lived elsewhere before being forced to move to the state.

So far, none of the tribes has been given approval to operate a casino in another state. The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe was near an agreement with New York for a casino but it fell through recently. The Wyandotte Nation's facility in Kansas was shut down after the federal government said it was illegal. The Miami Nation is waging a court battle.

Get the Story:
State tribes make play to get casinos elsewhere (The Daily Oklahoman 8/16)
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Indians' leveraged efforts for casinos reach beyond Colo. (The Denver Post 8/16)

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