Tribe pushes for casino legalisation in Georgia

The proposal is part of a series of attempts to legalise the gambling industry in the state.

US.- The Keetoowah band of the Cherokee, currently located in Oklahoma but originally from Georgia, said that it’s interested in building a casino in the state. The tribe sent a letter to Georgia’s governor to address the petition.

Richard Lea, one of the attorneys of the Keetoowah tribe, said that there are two companies that want to obtain a permission to build a casino. “They can partner with an Indian tribe. They can cut through the regulation and on an expedited basis, they can get approval and build an Indian casino a lot quicker,” he added and explained that it would be easier if a company buys the land and then wait for the federal government to declare it sovereign in trust for the tribe. “We’ve just seen the start of the casino fight in the legislature and it’s divisive.” If they go ahead with his plan, the state legislature would not be involved in the process.

The tribe wrote a letter to the Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal back in January explaining that under a federal law they have the priority to build a casino in the area. If the state considers the federal law, the Keetoowahs could be the first ones to obtain a license in the state.