Indian Gaming > Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid still at BIA

Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid still at BIA

Monday, March 8, 2010
Filed Under: Casino Stalker | Legislation

The Bureau of Indian Affairs still hasn't decided whether to approve an off-reservation casino for the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona.

The tribe wants to build the $550 million West Valley Resort on unincorporated land near Glendale. The 100-acre site was acquired in connection with a land claim settlement, meaning it should qualify for an exception in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

During the National Congress of American Indians winter session in Washington, D.C., last week, Tohono O'odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. pressed Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk to make a decision on the project. He said land-into-trust actions dropped from 24 in 2008 under the Bush administration to just four in 2009 under President Obama.

Since IGRA's passage in 1988, only two tribes -- the Seneca Nation and the Wyandotte Nation -- have been able to open casinos in connection with a land claim.

Get the Story:
Fight over planned Phoenix-area casino spreads to Arizona Legislature (AP 3/7)

Earlier Stories:
Bill affects Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid (2/26)
Bill targets Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid (2/3)
Tohono O'odham Nation 'more committed' to casino (1/28)
Sen. Kyl voices opposition to Tohono O'odham casino (1/27)
McCain joins opposition to off-reservation casino bid (1/21)
Tohono O'odham Nation won't drop off-reservation bid (1/20)