And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: provided by [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tribal casino in Wyandotte County moves closer to approval By RICK ALM The Kansas City Star Date: 06/09/99 22:15 A congressional committee Wednesday approved legislation allowing an Oklahoma Indian tribe to buy land in Wyandotte County for development of a full-fledged casino. If the measure becomes law, and depending on the outcome of a related federal lawsuit, the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma could quickly move much closer to its long-sought goal of operating a gambling hall at The Woodlands or elsewhere in Wyandotte County. It's that "elsewhere" language that concerns Bill Grace, principal owner of the financially troubled track. "People are being misled to believe that this is going to be the salvation of The Woodlands," he said Wednesday. "In reality, it will be the death knell. "If that bill passes, it will kill and close The Woodlands for sure." The measure, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Moore, seeks to compensate the tribe for Congress' decision in 1997 barring it from using its historic lands in Kansas City, Kan., for a gambling development. That 1997 legislation blocked the tribe's announced plans to build a bingo hall at the Huron Indian Cemetery. Moore's measure instructs the U.S. secretary of the interior to take into trust for gambling purposes whatever land the tribe buys in Wyandotte County. However, the tribe is in partnership with California-based Hollywood Park Inc., the former owner of the track, which lost it to Grace in a bitter bankruptcy court fight last year. When Hollywood Park controlled the track, it formed a partnership with the tribe and North American Sports Management, a Maitland, Fla., real estate developer, in a bid to open a casino, hotel, nightclub and more restaurants at The Woodlands. The partnership, Huron Gaming Inc., remains in place and, a spokesman said, contractually binds the tribe and the two companies in any tribal gambling venture anywhere. Huron officials also have made it clear in recent months that The Woodlands is not a priority site for its proposed Wyandotte County casino. Scott Beeler, a lawyer for Huron Gaming, said Wednesday: "The Woodlands has not been ruled out. We have not ruled out or in any particular site." Beeler acknowledged bad blood between Hollywood Park and the Grace interests, so "there would be some emotional hurdles to overcome" in a Woodlands deal. "But they are businessmen and would not let those issues get in the way of what's best for Wyandotte County and the Wyandotte Tribe," he said. Unified Government Mayor Carol Marinovich lauded passage of the measure Wednesday but said The Woodlands remained the local government's preferred site for a casino. "Our No. 1 priority continues to be for the gaming facility to be at The Woodlands," she said. Moore is reluctant to discuss the issue and competing interests at play. In an interview Wednesday, he acknowledged that he rebuffed Grace's appeals to make the bill apply to The Woodlands' site only. Moore would only say, "The Unified Government is going to have a big say in where this will be located, if it locates anywhere." Under ordinary circumstances, the Interior Department's land-trust process takes years. Also, under current law, a tribe's purchase of nontribal lands would not be eligible for gambling without state and local government approvals. Moore's bill wipes out those precedents. Meanwhile, if the Interior Department prevails in a lawsuit filed against it earlier this year by the states of Florida and Alabama, the department will be empowered to license and regulate tribal casinos without state approval. Under the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which Florida and Alabama support, tribes cannot offer slot machine gambling or other casino-style games anywhere without their host state's approval. Kansas Gov. Bill Graves is unhappy with the Interior Department's plans to impose tribal casinos on states that are unwilling to have them. At a news conference Friday, the governor criticized what he called a permissive attitude of the Clinton administration "that has really empowered Native Americans to lay claim to just about any and every piece of property in this country" for legalized gambling. To reach Rick Alm, call (816) 234-4785 or send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- All content © 1998 The Kansas City Star Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
