Monday, April 28, 2025 2:56 PM
Image aggregated from OPMX.
The U.S. Department of the Interior issued an opinion in January stating the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) is an equal successor to the Cherokee Nation’s reservation and granting the tribe the right to build a casino.
The original casino, located in Tahlequah, was shut down in 2013 after the Cherokee Nation sued, claiming the UKB had no legal standing on the land.
Since the memorandum, the National Indian Gaming Commission has approved the UKB’s newly written gaming ordinance, marking a significant step forward in generating gaming revenue for the tribe.
Gaming ordinances are a set of laws and rules tribes create and adhere to, regarding casinos, employees and payouts. For a tribe to move forward with legal gaming, the NIGC must approve its ordinance.
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