Card check: Neighbors, chief fight Indian casino
Not in our backyard, say some Broken Arrow residents who oppose an Indian casino.
Not in our market, says the chief of another tribe that already has a casino.
Not for lack of trying, we couldn’t stifle a laugh over the opposition of Creek Nation Chief A.D. Ellis to the proposed Kialegee Tribal Town proposal for a Broken Arrow casino. The plan would hurt the Creeks economically, Ellis said.
Now that’s funny: Expansion of the Creeks’ River Spirit Casino has an effect on other Indian casinos. Why should the Creeks be immune from competition?
It’s also funny because the Creeks’ recalcitrance regarding state tobacco taxes has hurt state revenues. If Ellis wants to make sure everything is copacetic, the Creeks should stop playing games with tobacco.
We can understand the not-in-my-backyard stance of Broken Arrow citizens. The conflict is a microcosm of the ones that have played out across the state for years, after sovereign tribes began using their lands for gaming operations — some of them quite small and some as large as River Spirit or the Cherokee casino and hotel in northeast Tulsa.
Ellis hinted that the Creeks would halt expansion plans for River Spirit if the Kialegees are allowed to proceed with the plans. Based in Wetumka, the tribe has fewer than 500 members. That’s half of the number of employees at River Spirit alone.
The Broken Arrow residents don’t want a casino, regardless of who operates it. The decision rests with the federal Indian Gaming Commission, which has authority to say which land is eligible for casinos.
Similar proposals were successfully fought in Oklahoma City, one in the Bricktown area and another north of Remington Park. Those fights also involved some elements of NIMBY and tribal competition.
We’ll roll the dice here and predict that the Kialegees won’t win this fight.