Now that it has come to a settlement with the state of New York, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma hopes the Interior Department won't stand in its way.

Scott Wood, an attorney and business committee member, told The Daily Oklahoma that he didn't expect the department to "come out and advocate for us, because I don't think that would ever happen to begin with. But we sure are talking to them hard about just not doing anything that would impede our chances."

The deal requires the tribe to give up its claim to 64,000 acres in New York and its share of a $247.9 million court judgment. In exchange, the tribe gets to open a Class III casino in the Catskills.

Interior could object to the terms of the settlement, the compact the tribe will sign for the casino or the land the tribe needs for the casino. The department has never ruled that a tribe has authority to open a gaming facility in another state.

Get the Story:
Tribe wins step in fight for N.Y. casino (The Oklahoman 11/16)
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Court Decision:
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma v. Aurelius (September 1, 2004)

Related Cases:
Cayuga Nation | Oneida Nation | Oneida Nation Dissent

Relevant Links:
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe - http://www.eighttribes.org/seneca-cayuga

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