- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians has secured key federal and state approvals, advancing its plans to operate casinos despite longstanding jurisdictional conflicts with the Cherokee Nation.
The tribe announced the approval in mid-April via its Facebook page. The new ordinance, codified in tribal law as the UKB Tribal Gaming Code, updates the tribe’s previously dormant gaming regulations to align with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
The UKB regulations prohibit the tribe from operating a casino on Cherokee Nation trust lands, addressing a longstanding battle between the UKB and the Cherokee Nation. In 2013, the dispute reached a peak when the Cherokee Nation challenged the UKB’s authority to operate a casino in Tahlequah, Okla., arguing that the UKB lacked legal standing on lands within the Cherokee reservation. The Cherokee Nation’s challenge eventually closed the UKB’s casino that year.
The UKB’s current efforts to restart gaming follows a Jan. 20, 2025 opinion from the Department of Interior that claims the Cherokee Nation and UKB are equal successors to the Cherokee reservation for trust purposes. The 57-page document from then-solicitor Robert T. Anderson concluded that “the Cherokee Nation Reservation is UKB’s reservation” for certain regulations and that “the Bureau of Indian Affairs may acquire land in trust for UKB within the Cherokee Reservation."
Cherokee Nation leaders strongly contested the decision. “One lawyer made this decision on his way out the door,” Cherokee Nation Attorney General Chad Harsha told the Cherokee Phoenix. “And I would say that having reviewed that opinion, it is deeply flawed, and it does not reflect the history of the Cherokee Nation.”
But with the NIGC’s approval in hand, the UKB has taken the next step toward reviving its gaming aspirations. On Wednesday, the UKB said it signed the Model Tribal Gaming Compact with the state of Oklahoma on April 29, paving the way for a restart of gaming operations and expanded economic development.
“This agreement reflects years of determination and is a significant turning point for the Keetoowah people,” Chief Jeff Wacoche said in a statement. “Gaming is not just about business – it's about restoring self-determination, creating jobs, and building prosperity for our Tribal Members. We are laying the legal and economic foundation for our future.”
The ordinance, a copy of which is attached to NIGC’s approval letter, outlines licensing procedures, vendor regulations, and oversight authority through the UKB Licensing Commission. It also confirms that net gaming revenues may support tribal governance, community welfare, economic development, charitable giving, and local partnerships.
“While additional steps remain before UKB gaming operations resume, the NIGC’s decision affirms what decades of federal law have made clear: Indian tribes have the right to regulate and conduct gaming on their lands,” Wacoche said. “We commend the Commission and the Department of the Interior for recognizing and upholding that legal foundation.”
Brian Edwards provided reporting.
