"In Minnesota and North Dakota, some tribes are seeking to open new casinos in metro areas outside, and in some instances, quite distant, from their reservations. It should be noted that the majority of tribes in both states strongly oppose these efforts.

For the record, most of the opposing tribes are not wealthy and urban but rural and of modest means. They believe that moving off-reservation to increase tribal gaming revenues is a politically controversial step that ultimately will put all tribal gaming at risk.

The political backlash against 'reservation-shopping' already has begun, triggered by events on the East Coast, and Congress is considering at least one bill to limit the ability of tribes to move non-reservation land into trust for gaming purposes.

Tribal leaders fear this is only the beginning of more federal intrusions into tribal sovereignty in the name of 'controlling' the spread of Indian gaming. But if tribes limit their gaming activities to reservation lands, there will be no spread for Congress to control."

Get the Story:
John McCarthy and Kurt Luger: Keep the casinos on reservation (The Grand Forks Herald 4/24)