The Catawba Nation is defending its right to engage in gaming in North Carolina. The tribe submitted a land-into-trust application for a 16-acre site in Cleveland County. The Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act includes the county in the tribe's service area. The law further provides for a reservation of up to 3,600 acres. The application notes that only about 1,000 acres are in trust at this point, The Rock Hill Herald reported. The law, however, bars the tribe from engaging in gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. So the application states that the tribe will pursue gaming under "relevant law" but not under IGRA, the paper reported. The casino has support in Cleveland County. But most state officials and lawmakers oppose it as does the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates a casino about 130 miles from the site. The Catawba Nation submitted a letter of support from former Interior secretary Manuel Lujan, who was in office when the settlement act was being finalized. Get the Story:
Catawbas make case for N.C. land purchase, casino (The Rock Hill Herald 12/6)
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