Indian Gaming Now

Off-Reservation Gaming in Michigan -- One, Two, Three, or More Casinos?

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 23 2012
Off-reservation gaming is heating up in the Great Lake State (or, to those of us who are University of Michigan grads, the Wolverine State)!

Shortly before we rang in 2012, the Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a decision approving the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community's application for an off-reservation casino in Marquette County.  This was a rare approval under the "best interests" exception to IGRA's general prohibition against gaming on lands acquired after 1988.

Then, just over a week ago, the news broke that the Menominee Tribe was once again aggressively pursuing its dream of a Kenosha casino, with help from KMD Consulting Services in California.

NIGC Response to Oklahoma Officials' Objection to Broken Arrow Casino

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 21 2012
NIGC Chair Tracie Stevens issued a response to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK).  Earlier this month, Coburn and Sullivan had requested information about the legality of the Kialegees' construction of a casino in suburban Tulsa.

Stevens acknowledged that IGRA requires a tribe to operate Indian gaming only on "Indian lands," which has a specific legal definition, as explained in our earlier posts.

Kathryn Quoted on Kialegee Casino

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 20 2012
Kathryn's quoted in the Tulsa World on the legal requirements for the Kialegee Tribal Town to operate their under-construction casino in suburban Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier on Indian Gaming

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 18 2012
We're listening to the interview of Heidi McNeil Staudenmaier on CEM Audio Edge.  Heidi is speaking with host Valerie Red-Horse on various issues related to Indian gaming, particularly with regard to regulatory law.  We've had the chance to present alongside Heidi at many conferences.  As the partner coordinator of the Indian Law&Gaming Law Practice Group for Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P, she is extremely knowledgeable about the nuts and bolts of tribal gaming regulation.

When Is Non-Reservation Land Indian Land?

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 13 2012
An issue that arises repeatedly is "Can a tribe build a casino on this land?"  This is, of course, the essential question in the recent coverage of the Kialegee Tribal Town's plans for a Broken Arrow casino in Oklahoma.  We thought we'd break down this complex factual and legal question.

More on the Kialegees' Broken Arrow Casino

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 10 2012
The Kialegee Tribal Town is standing by its claim that the suburban land in question belongs to the tribe and is under tribal government control and jurisdiction.  In a statement issued by the tribe, the Kialegees point to the indicators of tribal authority: a sign asserting jurisdiction, the tribe's flag flying over the land, and "on-site tribal activities."  The statement also highlighted the tribe's efforts to work with federal and city officials.

Controversy in Oklahoma Over Broken Arrow

Posted by Kathryn Rand | Filed under:
Jan 6 2012
State officials in Oklahoma are working to halt the construction of a casino in Broken Arrow, a suburb of Tulsa.  The tribe behind the casino is the Kialegee Tribal Town.

The Kialegee are a federally recognized tribe with about 430 members, based in Wetumka, and historically part of the Muskogee Creek Confederacy.  Last spring, the tribe signed a gaming compact with Oklahoma.