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Oklahoma Tribes Petition for Colorado Casino

COLORADO – As reported by the Denver Post: "A pair of Oklahoma Indian tribes will announce today that they're petitioning the federal government to build an Indian casino in Colorado.

"The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, which operate under one tribal government, will petition Interior Secretary Gale Norton to negotiate a casino site and are open to a location in Central City or near Denver International Airport, depending on the terms, according to congressional and casino industry sources. The tribes would be willing to grant more concessions to be near DIA.

"The tribes have been talking for months about building a casino in Colorado, but the petition to be announced today would be the first formal action they have taken toward getting federal approval.

"...But the tribes may face obstacles in Colorado, particularly if they want to build outside of areas such as Central City that already have casinos. Gov. Bill Owens has repeatedly said he opposes any expansion of gambling in Colorado. And the governor's office says that federal law would require Owens' approval before a casino can be built.

"…The tribes' financial backers are Colorado venture capitalist Steve Hillard's Council Tree Communications and Arctic Slope Regional Corp., a company owned by Alaska's native Inupiat people…"

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