The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the tribe of the famous Chief Standing Bear, has been working to build a casino in Carter Lake, Iowa, near Council Bluffs, 2007. Last November the National Indian Gaming Commission granted approval for the tribe to build a casino with 2,000 slots, 50 table games and a 150-room hotel on a 5-acre tract the tribe bought in 1999 in Carter Lake. But in December, Council Bluffs City Attorney Richard Wade filed a complaint against the federal Department of Interior and the NIGC in U.S. District Court seeking a ruling that the tribal land in Carter Lake does not qualify for a casino. He challenged the gaming commission’s decision that the site qualifies as “restored lands’’ after the tribe regained federal recognition three decades ago.
The complaint also stated the Ponca casino could offer higher payouts and steal business from existing state-licensed gambling facilities in the area, which attract millions of visitors annually from across the Missouri River. Currently, Council Bluffs casinos pay the city about $3 million annually in casino fees and taxes and also donate about $8 million a year in charitable contributions.
Recently, Ponca Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. said tribal leaders are working behind the scenes to keep tribal members informed of proposed casino details. He said, “We’re moving forward. We’re evaluating and weighing our options.’’
Wright said the tribe intends to develop a project similar to one it proposed in 2007 that called for a casino with 2,000 slot machines, 50 table games and a 150-room hotel. He stated it was “unfortunate” that Council Bluffs filed the lawsuit in an attempt to block the Ponca casino. “They didn’t try to talk with us. We’re always open to talk,” Wright said.
The 4,100-member tribe currently operates a tobacco shop at the site.
