Construction recently began on the Ponca Tribe’s casino on a 4.8-acre parcel in Carter Lake, Iowa, the current site of the Smoke Signals tobacco shop. Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. said, “Just a little over 27 years ago, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska was federally recognized once again. For the last 27 years, we’ve grown inch by inch, but the next 27, 50, 100 years are going to be determined by this project here today.” He said the casino will provide a much-needed economic boost for the tribe’s social programs. “Any time when funding for Indian Country is under attack, we know we can take care of ourselves,” he said.
The Poncas purchased the land with a $2 million grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Tom Ranfranz, a consultant for the Shakopee, said since its loan program began in 1997, the tribe has provided nearly $500 million in loans to Native organizations and tribes. “Shakopees believe in sharing, sharing what they have, and they’ve always been that way. Right now, we’re very proud that the Ponca Tribe is participating in their first loan with our tribe.”
The casino is expected to be completed by September and provide 100 jobs, Wright said, adding phase two of the casino project will create an additional 1,000 jobs. “That’s putting our people to work and putting our community partners to work,” he said.
Carter Lake Mayor Ron Cumberledge added, “The casino will make a large economic impact for the city of Carter Lake and the Ponca people. I welcome this project and I hope we can have a long-lasting relationship.”
Last November, after more than a decade of legal go-rounds, the National Indian Gaming Commission ruled the tribe could move forward with the casino under the restored lands exception in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. However, the city of Council Bluffs filed a complaint in December against the NIGC, the Department of the Interior and officials at both agencies related to November decision. City officials are concerned the Ponca casino will cannibalize business from Council Bluffs’ casinos. A federal magistrate later allowed the states of Iowa and Nebraska to join the complaint, which is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Carter Lake is located in Iowa but it’s physically surrounded by Nebraska due to shifts in the Missouri River. The town is located less than five minutes from downtown Omaha and under a mile from Omaha’s Eppley Airfield.
