DOI May Change Rule on Where Tribal Casinos Can be Located

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Obama Administration may reverse an Interior Department regulation that tribal casinos must be within commuting distance of the tribe’s reservation. If the directive, issued by the Bush Administration, is reversed, it could spur a new wave of casinos in Indian Country and assist state governments, some of which receive payments from the tribes based on casino revenue. George Skibine, deputy assistant secretary at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told the WSJ that he expects a decision on whether the policy will be changed "fairly soon".