The Downstream Casino Resort in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Photo from Facebook
The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma has not started work on a casino expansion project despite claims made by the state of Kansas. The tribe has no firm date to begin construction on the $15 million expansion of the Downstream Casino Resort. Equipment that was spotted at the site was there for carpet replacement, The Cherokee County News-Advocate reported. Despite the lack of action, the state of Kansas filed a lawsuit in federal court to prevent the tribe from moving forward. Judge Daniel D. Crabtree has not yet ruled on a motion for a preliminary injunction but he won't consider the request until he determines whether the tribe and its leaders can be sued without their consent. The court "must decide the threshold issue whether it has subject-matter jurisdiction over the parties who assert tribal immunity" before the case can proceed, Crabtree wrote in a short order last week.
Artist's rendering shows the planned expansion at the Downstream Casino Resort. Image from Quapaw Tribe
Downstream is located on properties in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Gaming is currently restricted to the Oklahoma portion because only that land was held in trust when the facility opened in 2008. The tribe announced the expansion after the National Indian Gaming Commission said the Kansas portion can be used for gaming. The state is also suing the NIGC. The 124-acre Kansas portion was placed in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2012. Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bar casinos on land acquired after 1988. The NIGC, however, determined that the tribe qualified for an exception in Section 20 of the law that applies to a "last recognized reservation." The tribe's reservation straddled Oklahoma and Kansas border. Get the Story:
Court rules against injunction to stop Downstream expansion into Kansas (The Cherokee County News-Advocate 8/5) Relevant Documents:
NIGC Indian Land Opinion For Site in Kansas (November 2014)
Related Stories
Quapaw
Tribe casino expansion faces opposition from tribes (07/20) Quapaw Tribe faces competition from Kansas commercial casino (06/24)
Quapaw Tribe requests dismissal of lawsuit over casino expansion (06/16)
Kansas seeks more time to respond in Quapaw Tribe casino case (6/5)
NIGC seeks dismissal of suit over Quapaw Tribe casino expansion (6/3)
John Berrey: Governor in Kansas turns back on Quapaw Tribe (5/19)
Kansas seeks injunction to stop Quapaw Tribe gaming expansion (4/17)
Quapaw Tribe promises fight to protect casino rights in Kansas (03/19)
Kansas sues over gaming land determination for Quapaw Tribe (03/10)
Quapaw Tribe proposes $110M 'Emerald City' casino in Kansas (02/24)
Quapaw Tribe slams casino expansion opposition as 'anti-Indian' (02/11)
County opposes expansion of Quapaw Tribe casino into Kansas (02/10)
Kansas attorney general questions Quapaw Tribe's gaming plans (12/10)
Quapaw Tribe to expand gaming facility into ancestral territory (12/05)
Join the Conversation
