Federal Government Shocks Indian Tribes With Casino Denial
The Federal Government can be pretty strict when they want to be. Friday was one of the days they wanted to be. As a result, two Indian Tribes will have to look outside the Catskills for potential casino locations.
The Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican and the St. Regis Mohawk tribes entered applications to bring casinos to the Catskills long ago. Friday they received their answer when Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne denied their request.
The decision was made based on the fact that the two tribes' reservations are located too far from the potential site. That means that tribe members would have to commute too far to gain jobs at the casinos.
Governor Elliot Spitzer had a goal of rebuilding the area through the casino gambling. That goal will now have to be reworked. He believed the jobs and money generated would have gone a long way in improving the Catskills.
Kempthorne's decision today means that lawsuits will most certainly follow, not only from the tribes involved in today's decision, but also other tribes around the country.
