The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma recently filed in federal court a motion to dismiss the state of Kansas’ suit that would block the Quapaws’ expansion of its Downstream Casino in Oklahoma into southeast Kansas.
The tribe said it has sovereign immunity and claims it has followed federal law in pursuing the construction of a $15 million casino on its Downstream parking lot, just across the Kansas state line, where it could offer table games that are illegal in Oklahoma. Kansas is challenging the National Indian Gaming Commission’s decision that would allow gambling on the Cherokee County land.
A spokeswoman for the Kansas Attorney General’s office said it will “vigorously oppose” the tribe’s motion for dismissal.
