Casino news source: News 8 - http://www.wric.com
Virginia Tribes Agree To Casino Ban
April 26, 2007 11:22 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal recognition for six Virginia Indian tribes appears more likely after tribal leaders agreed to forgo their sovereign right to run casinos on tribal lands.
The chiefs had resisted making that concession for years.
The House Natural Resources Committee approved the bill yesterday after passing an amendment forbidding the tribes from conducting gambling.
Gambling opponents have blocked the bill for seven years because the chiefs had resisted making that concession. The chief sponsor of the bill is Virginia Congressman Jim Moran. The committee vote raises the prospect of winning federal recognition for the tribes just as Virginia celebrates the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
About 21-thousand Indians live in Virginia, most in the southeastern part of the state. Tribal leaders say recognition from Washington would open the door to a variety of forms of federal aid -- from college scholarships to health care and low-interest loans.
Eastern Chickahominy Chief Gene Adkins says the chiefs agreed to the gambling concession in recent days to win support for the bill. |
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