Oklahoma’s Comanche Nation has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of the Interior for allowing the Chickasaw Nation to build a new casino close to the state’s border with Texas, local news outlet NewsOk has reported.
The Comanche Nation claims that larger federally recognized tribes have been treated preferentially by federal authorities by being facilitated in their efforts to construct and operate casinos. Thus, such larger tribes have come to dominate the local gaming market, giving little chance to their smaller counterparts to thrive with profitable gambling businesses.
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, casinos cannot be built on land that was placed in trust after October 17, 1988. However, the Chickasaw Nation and other tribes have been able to take advantage of a special provision that has allowed them to construct gambling venues on sites that had once been part of reservation land. That special provision is what the Comanches are contesting in court.
The Comanche Nation filed its lawsuit with the US Western District Court of Oklahoma. The tribe claims that federal authorities have also, among other things, failed to require an obligatory formal study of the effects the Chickasaw Nation’s gambling venue will have on the surrounding environment.
It was in May when the Chickasaw Nation commenced construction on a $10-million casino in the town of Terral, located not far from the Texas border. The location of the gambling venue is intended to attract namely customers from the neighboring state, where Class III gambling options are prohibited by law, with the Kickapoo Tribe’s Lucky Eagle Casino being the only exception.
The facility is planned to spread over 36,000 square feet of land and will feature more than 600 gaming machines, six table games, as well as dining and retail facilities. According to the tribe, the gambling property will create 150 new jobs to the host community and will generate more than $3 million in annual payments. The casino is projected to open doors in early 2018.
As for the Comanche Nation, it currently operates a gambling venue located 50 miles from Terral, where the Chickasaw Nation is building its property. The Comanches are also planning to construct a new gaming facility in a portion of reservation land around 10 miles from the Chickasaws’ future casino.
The state of Oklahoma is home to around a quarter of all tribal casinos in the US and trails only behind California in terms of Native American gaming revenue generated per year. The Chickasaw Nation currently operates what it believes is the world’s largest casino.
The WinStar World Casino is located in Thackerville and features 7,400 gaming machines and more than 100 gaming tables for its patrons. The casino spreads over 600,000 square feet.
