Stockbridge-Munsee Band interested in off-reservation casino

The Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians of Wisconsin is still interested in an off-reservation casino in New York, President Kim Vele said.

The tribe signed Class III gaming compact and a land claim settlement for a casino in the Catskills region near New York City. The Bureau of Indian Affairs rejected the deal in February but a change in policy on off-reservation gaming has the tribe hopeful again.

Vele said the tribe “is now in the process of exploring its options regarding our plans to establish a casino resort in the Catskills," The Mid-Hudson News Network reported.

The Bush administration killed the tribe's earlier Catskills casino bid in January 2008, saying it was too far from the reservation. Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk has rescinded the memo that led to the denial.

Get the Story:
Catskills Casino Back In Play? (The New York Daily News 6/15)
Push is on for Sullivan casino (The Mid-Hudson News Network 6/16)
New casino policy: 'Game-changer' (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 6/16)

Bush Administration Off-Reservation Gaming Policy:
Guidance on taking off-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes (January 3, 2008)

Related Stories:
Tribes hopeful with reversal on off-reservation gaming policy (6/15)
Echo Hawk pulls controversial off-reservation gaming memo (6/14)

From the Indianz.Com Archive:
BIA starts new year with off-reservation gaming policy (1/7)
Rejected tribes want casinos too far from reservations (1/7)