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State, Meskwaki Tribe Settle Compact Negotiations

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The state of Iowa and the Meskwaki tribe have agreed on a new gambling compact to replace one that expired last month.

Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals Director Steve Young and Sac and Fox Chairman Homer Bear said Friday the revisions of the compact will remain confidential until the U.S. Department of the Interior reviews, approves, and publishes it in the Federal Register.

The compact covers all areas of the operations of the tribe's casino near Tama, ranging from the types of games permitted to accounting and surveillance procedures. The federal government requires a compact for a casino to operate, but it limits what a state can require of a tribe.

The state can ask to be reimbursed for oversight costs but cannot tax casino revenue. Iowa has not in the past collected oversight money from the Meskwakis.

Negotiations had been suspended for months but were revived in the days leading up to the deadline, David Werning, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, said last month.

Copyright © Las Vegas Sun. Inc. Republished with permission.

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