The threat of casinos invading Alabama continues to escalate with the latest turn of events in Fort Payne.
After the first of the year, news began to trickle out that David Hammonds of Fort Payne plans to transfer 69 acres of land to the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. And with the transfer comes the threat of another casino-style gambling facility similar to those already operating in Atmore, Wetumpka and Montgomery by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
The Keetoowahs are from Oklahoma and currently own a casino in Tahlequah, Okla.
The news captured the attention of gambling opponents across the state and put Alabama congressional leaders in motion.
“The citizens of Fort Payne will be held hostage by a tribe of Indians that don’t live in Alabama,” said Dan Ireland, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP).
“There would be no taxing, no regulation, no policing and you can’t do anything about it,” Ireland said. “It’s another foot in the door that will keep multiplying.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said he has met with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior to discuss Indian gambling in Alabama.
“I don’t believe it’s right that a tribe outside the state of Alabama can operate gambling facilities in Alabama when state law prohibits Alabama citizens from doing so,” he said. “There is a long administrative process that a tribe must follow before Indian gaming is allowed, and I intend to work diligently to block it every step of the way.”
Patty Tucker, director of the DeKalb County Tourist Association, said it was her understanding that the tribe would have to become a federally recognized tribe in Alabama before the land transfer could be legal.
Tucker said before a casino can be discussed, the tribe has to be “federalized,” so the local tourist board is waiting to take a position on the matter.
“We aren’t taking a stand at this point,” she said. “We are just gathering information.”
Tucker confirmed that when Hammonds presented his proposed plans to the tourist association, he did mention the possibility of a Class II gambling facility being put on the land.
“He did mention it,” she said. “But Keetoowah [representatives] said it could be five to 10 years. Their first focus will be a cultural center.”
Tucker said the community response has been mixed with people speaking out on both sides.
“My genuine hope is if a casino is built here, that it will be done in good taste and will be something our community could be proud of and that would generate tourism,” she said.
According to a news article published Jan. 20 in The Huntsville Times, leaders of the Cherokee tribe plan to break ground on the cultural center sometime around May.
The Associated Press reported Jan. 20 that United Keetoowah Band Chief George Wickliffe said his main interest at this point is protecting ancestral lands and preserving burial sites that are threatened by development.
The Fort Payne land is located between Interstate 59 and U.S. 11 near where a new exit will soon be built off I-59, Ireland said.
Ireland is working with Sessions; U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville; Alabama Attorney General Troy King and Gov. Bob Riley to try to stop the transfer.
“We are trying to get the president to declare a moratorium on Indian gambling and to do a serious review of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988,” Ireland said.
Along with the new threat of Indian gambling in Fort Payne, Ireland is also concerned about Indian gambling already happening in the state.
The new $300 million, 350-room hotel and casino project in the works on the Poarch Creek Indians’ reservation in Wetumpka is especially a concern, he said.
While none of the gambling facilities can offer Class III gambling such as slot machines or blackjack tables, they can offer Class II gambling. Class II gambling “primarily includes bingo (whether or not it is electronically enhanced), pull-tabs, lotto, punch boards, tip jars, instant bingo, games similar to bingo and nonbanking card games allowed by state law,” according to the Gaming Tax Law for Indian Tribal Governments.
Eric Basinger, executive director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, said Jan. 20 that the two six-level parking decks are built and visible from a distance when lit up at night.
“It is an impressive structure to see at night,” he said.
Basinger said construction continues on the hotel and casino, which will be located on the riverfront, and the projected completion date of summer 2007 seems to still be in place.
He said he has not seen any fluctuation in the economy so far, but he anticipates most people are waiting to see what happens and how it will work once it is in place.
Tucker noted a similar sentiment about the Fort Payne area. “If indeed it happens and if it is done right, it could bring some tourist dollars to us,” she said. But at this point, they are merely spectators waiting to see what happens, she explained.
In Jefferson County, Birmingham Race Course owner Milton McGregor continued a fight of his own over casino-style bingo machines that can also connect to the Internet.
A two-day hearing over whether a new style of video gambling McGregor has deemed as “sweepstakes gambling” is legal wrapped up Jan. 18.
Jefferson County Circuit Judge Scott Vowell was expected to render a verdict before the end of January.
Ireland said, “I personally think it is unconstitutional. The only sweepstakes law we have is for mail-order sweepstakes.
“The track was voted on by the people for dog or horse racing, period,” he said. “Now (McGregor) wants to move in a new type of gambling no one ever voted for or dreamed could become a reality.”
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