Indianz.Com Casino Stalker Tracking casino proposals across Indian Country.

"The guessing is that, barring a major new effort to change his mind, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will give his blessing to a tribal casino in Beloit. That is, of course, providing the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs approves the venture.

A key point in the approval process is the designation of the proposed casino site as "tribal land." That may seem an almost meaningless requirement, but it has political, economic and cultural significance to Native Americans.

One major tribe, which has profited greatly from its casino ventures, argues unconvincingly that it has prior claim to the proposed casino site east of town, as ancestral land. More than once, the BIA has found that claim baseless, and appears poised to approve the Beloit venture, leaving it in Doyle's hands. We think he'll do the right thing and add his OK.

So, let's proceed under the presumption that, after eight or more years' effort, a couple northern Wisconsin tribes will win the right to build and operate a gambling place here in River City."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Assorted thoughts on 'the casino' (The Beloit Daliy News 1/25)