US govt rejects Native American casino bid
29th February, 2008
The US government had defended its decision to reject 11 applications by Native Americans to build off-reservation casinos as the proposed sites were too distant from reservations.
"Of the 30 applications, some were two to 20 miles away (from reservations); over half were 100 miles away while others were over a thousand miles away," Carl Artman, assistant secretary of the interior for Indian affairs, told the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Critics have argued, however, that the decision is part of a move to make it difficult for Native Americans to move away from reservations.
A guidance memorandum recommending increased scrutiny on off-reservation applications was issued by Mr Artman a day before the rejections, the Review Journal reported.
"This is paternalistic and oppressive," said Hazel Hindsley of the St Croix Chippewa of Wisconsin.
The US government acknowledged in 1988 that federally recognised Native American reservations could operate casinos outside certain state regulations in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
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