Judge sets hearing in United Keetoowah Band gaming dispute


The Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in better days. Photo from Facebook

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma will be in federal court on July 25 to defend its gaming and land rights.

After 27 years in business, the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino closed last August because it is located on land that isn't in trust. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was about to approve the tribe's land-into-trust application until the Cherokee Nation filed suit.

The Cherokees claim they are the only tribe that can acquire land within the former Cherokee Reservation. The BIA concluded otherwise but that reasoning is being disputed as part of the litigation.

The July 25 hearing takes place before Judge Gregory Frizzell at the federal court in Tulsa.

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UKB casino case hearing rescheduled to July 25 (The Cherokee Phoenix 5/9)

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