S.C. court bans tribe's video gambling |
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Published
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Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:24
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The Catawba Indian Nation may not offer video gambling on its reservation because it would violate a state law prohibiting the games, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Monday.The Catawbas, the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina, sued in 2005 for the right to offer video gambling, arguing their 1993 land deal with the state allowed it.A South Carolina law banned video gambling in 2000.The state contends that the land deal means the tribe's reservation falls under state, not federal, gambling laws. The Catawbas disagree and said they would appeal.'This is just another round,' said tribe attorney Dwight Drake.The state attorney general's office, which appealed a lower court's decision in favor of the tribe, did not return a phone message seeking comment.The tribe has said it doesn't necessarily want to put video gambling machines on its reservation in northwest South Carolina. But the Catawbas wanted to use the court's ruling as a bargaining chip to build a high-stakes bingo parlor along Interstate 95.Critics have said allowing bingo would open the door to more high-stakes bingo locations elsewhere in the state.The Catawbas say a new bingo parlor is critical to their future. The tribe's York County bingo hall began losing money after the state lottery started in 2002, they say. The Catawbas have since sold the hall and the surrounding property.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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