A man who is donating 69 acres in Alabama to the United Keetoowah Band wants the Oklahoma-based tribe to open a casino on the land.

David Hammonds, who works with the tribe in trucking, wants the casino opened "as soon as possible" in Fort Payne. He says the tribe can offer Class II gaming but a UKB official says everything is still in the planning stages.

"We're still just considering where we're going to go and what other services we want to provide once we have people who might want to relocate to work at that location. It will start off small," Vice Chief Charles Locust said.

The UKB was operating a casino in Oklahoma on land that is not held in trust. The Cherokee Nation says the UKB can't exercise government jurisdiction in Cherokee territory without its approval.

Get the Story:
Questions about casino still lingering (The Fort Payne Times-Journal 1/17)
Casino planned near here (AP 1/17)