Miss Choctaw off-reservation casino opposed

Tuesday, September 5, 2006  

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) and Sen. Trent Lott (R) are opposing the off-reservation casino being sought by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs for approval to use 100 acres near a major interstate for a casino. The site is more than 200 miles from the reservation.

Barbour wrote a June 22 letter to the BIA in opposition to the tribe's application. Lott, who is considered an ally of the tribe, says the Choctaws should seek to open a casino under state law.

The tribe needs BIA approval to use the site for gaming and needs to amend its gaming compact with the state.

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Choctaws face opposition (The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 9/3)