Legalized Ohio Gambling Doesn't Foreshadow Tribal Casinos
The expansion of gambling in Ohio does not necessarily signal the start of tribal gaming in the state. Although the primary regulation to the establishment of tribal casinos is the allowance of gambling anywhere inside state boundaries, the fact that none of the Native American tribes from Ohio are federally recognized means implementation of the casino rule is far away.The lack of federal recognition for any Ohio tribe means a long and arduous task of wading through government red tape, taking any tribe many years to achieve the status necessary to begin forming plans to open a tribal casino.
The fact that no tribe is recognized is ironic, considering the long history of Native Americans in the state. The very name "Ohio" comes from a Seneca word, and an uprising by an Ottawa chief against British rule just before the American Revolution, named Pontiac's Rebellion after the leader, featured some of the most horrific acts in the wars between European settlers and tribes.
In fact, that conflict was the one that featured British troops deliberately offering tribes blankets infected with smallpox, an incident set in infamy in US history.
A tribe that has managed to be awarded federally recognized status has bought land and proposed a $300 million casino in Ohio, but the tribe is the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma. While the land purchased is awaiting an application to place it in federal trust, making it eligible for a casino, regulators have enforced unwritten policies about granting casino trust status to land far from reservation grounds.
