FT. SILL APACHE TRIBE GETS ANOTHER SHOT AT GETTING CASINO IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
The Ft. Sill Apache tribe, attempting to get permission to open a casino in
in southern New Mexico won a partial victory from Judge Rosemary Collyer in federal court.
Recently, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) ruled that the Ft. Sill Apaches didn’t meet criteria under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to open a casino in New Mexico.
The tribe sued the NIGC for two actions. The first was that the NIGC took too long to make a decision, since the tribe had appealed for a ruling in 2012. Judge Collyer ruled in the tribe’s favor, saying that the IGRA specified thirty days for action.
The second accusation was that this delay was equivalent to a final decision against the tribe, which Judge Collyer rejected.
The tribe and the NIGC must submit a joint filing to Judge Collyer by May 26 in order to facilitate the next steps in the process.
An article in Courthouse News online on this action can be read by clicking here.
Stop Predatory Gambling New Mexico was pleasantly surprised when the NIGC ruled against the off-reservation casino proposed by the Ft. Sill Apache tribe. We can only hope that Judge Collyer doesn’t allow the tardiness of the NIGC to be the determining factor in whether the tribe can obtain a casino in violation of federal law.
