Choctaw chief hopes for off-reservation deal

Monday, June 12, 2006  

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Chief Phillip Martin thinks he'll be able to negotiate a Class III gaming compact for a casino more than 200 miles from the reservation.

The tribe's current compact only applies to its two reservation casinos, according to the state attorney general. A new deal would be required to authorize a new casino in Ocean Springs near Interstate 10.

The tribe could try to establish a Class II facility in Ocean Springs without a new compact. But the Interior Department told Martin that he still has to go through Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Get the Story:
'92 deal may dictate Choctaws' Coast plan (The Biloxi Sun-Herald 6/11)
Letters: Correspondence between Choctaws, Department of Interior (The Biloxi Sun-Herald 6/11)