Indian Gaming > Editorial: No tribal casino without voter approval

October 08, 2004

Editorial: No tribal casino without voter approval

"The [Eastern] Shawnee [of Oklahoma] have a historic tie to this region, and their businesses ought to be welcomed here with more than the usual Ohio hospitality, but casino gambling is not just any old industry, as Congress wisely recognized in passing the 1988 act and creating the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Taft and the Interior secretary should hold the line against the Shawnee or any other gambling group trying to introduce casino-style gambling to Ohio without a statewide vote.

They can buy up all the land they want in Monroe or other parts of Ohio, but under the federal Indian Gaming law, they can't put a Class III casino on it without the governor's OK and the secretary of the Interior designating it Indian land held in trust for the tribe. The secretary also would have to agree the casino is in the best interest of tribal members and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Hold the line on Indian casinos (The Cincinnati Enquirer 10/8)