Outgoing Muscogee chief, Broken Arrow residents fighting proposed casino by Kialegee

Outgoing Muscogee chief, Broken Arrow residents fighting proposed casino by Kialegee
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The outgoing chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and residents of Broken Arrow are fighting a proposed casino by the Kialegee Tribal Town.

The casino would be built on land leased to the Kialegee, but a judge has withheld approval of the lease and the National Indian Gaming Commission has said it's reviewing whether the land is eligible for gambling.

Chief A.D. Ellis, whose term ends at midnight Saturday, told the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/vNW3Hi ) that plans for the casino must be stopped.

"They just don't have the expertise to do anything like this," he said. "If they get by with this, there will be somebody else, then somebody else."

Local residents also oppose the casino, saying it would be built near a planned early childhood center, a church and a Tulsa Technology Center campus.

Current Chief A.D. Ellis told the Tulsa World that the Kialegee have no experience with casinos and that the facility would hurt his tribe's casino in nearby Tulsa .

Tiger Hobia, the Town King of the Kialegee Tribal Town, has declined interview requests, but issued a statement on Dec. 24.

"The Kialegee Tribal Town project is the epitome of the Congressional vision for Indian economic development. The Kialegee Tribal Town, to date, has had no viable economic development opportunities. As such, the Kialegee Tribal Town is dependent on limited allocations and subsidies to fund its tribal operations. Consequently, the Kialegee Tribal Town does not possess the resources to provide any programming to serve the needs of its members. This is one of the very reasons the Indian Gaming Act was enacted," the statement said.

Ellis, who did not seek re-election because of term limits, said he believes the planned casino would be detrimental to his tribes' River Spirit Casino in nearby Tulsa, which employs about 1,000 workers.

"We worked hard. This was a battle getting this built. A lot of things depend on it, and a lot of things depend on how successful this is," Ellis said. "I'd hate to see layoffs."

Ellis also said he believes another casino in the metro area would hurt the tribe's gaming-funded programs for seniors, children and college students who are Creek citizens including the Kialegees, who have dual citizenship.

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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com