In his 2017 ruling on the tribal controversy, District Court Judge Joe Heaton said, \u201cThere is no dispute here that the Terral property is within the boundaries of the historical reservation of the Chickasaw tribe. So assuming it is a \u2018former\u2019 reservation, the Oklahoma exception plainly applies.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nHeaton also acknowledged that the development was not inside the Chickasaw reservation. It fell within an area that was deemed to be so in the 19th century and therefore could be taken into trust.<\/p>\n
Competition Unfair to Comanche?<\/h2>\n
The Comanches argue that the Chickasaws have exploited the exemption to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful tribal gaming operators in the U.S. They are also using their lobbying power in Washington to facilitate that expansion at the expense of poorer Oklahoma tribes, the Comanches claim.<\/p>\n
Last year, lawyers for the Comanches argued the DOI failed to determine the Chickasaw tribe had \u201cexercised governmental authority\u201d over the lands before it purchased them. The Comanches also were not consulted by the DOI about taking the lands into trust, nor was the tribe mentioned in the DOI\u2019s 18-page decision.<\/p>\n
The Comanches further countered in their appeal the exception means \u201cthat 2\/3 of the state is gaming eligible upon an acquisition in trust for an Indian tribe.\u201d\u00a0By using the exception, six tribes started 80 Oklahoma gaming venues since 1988 \u201cand now dominate the Indian gaming market,\u201d the Comanche appeal said.<\/p>\n
The Comanches have argued their Devol venue is an \u201ceconomic lifeline\u201d for the tribe. It provides $60 million in net annual revenue which represents \u201cmore than 60% of the funds necessary for the Comanche to sustain vital tribal operations and social service programs.”<\/strong><\/p>\nThe 10th Circuit Court of Appeals basically rejected the Comanche appeal, too, in a ruling last December.\u00a0 \u201cWe are pleased the court of appeals agreed with our original assessment,\u201d Stephen Greetham<\/a>, senior counsel for the Chickasaw Nation, said last year.<\/p>\n\u201cThe Comanche Nation\u2019s lawsuit fails to raise any factual or legal point of merit,\u201d he added in 2018. \u201cWith this appeal completed, we are confident the district court will now proceed with dismissal of the entire case, not just the Comanche motion for preliminary injunction.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided to not hear an appeal by the Comanche Nation over the Chickasaws’ Riverstar Casino in Terral, Oklahoma. The venue opened last year and is some 45 miles from the competing Comanche Red River Hotel Casino at Devol. In a court filing, the Comanches argued they had \u201cno choice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":106067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Supreme Court Will Not Review Dispute Between Comanches, Chickasaws On Oklahoma Casino - Casino.org Supreme Court Will Not Review Dispute Between Comanches, Chickasaws On Oklahoma Casino<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n