Creek chief says Broken Arrow casino could cost tribe millions

TULSA - The Kialegee tribe plans to build a casino in Broken Arrow at 111th and South 129th East Avenue.
And residents aren't the only ones upset with the plans.

Muscogee Creek Chief A.D. Ellis tells 2News the current Creek Nation administration is against the planned casino in Broken Arrow. The Kialegee Tribal Town, made up of just over 400 members, is an off-shoot tribe of Creek Nation.

According to federal court documents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Kialegee tribe attempted to put an unnamed plot of Tulsa County land into a trust in 1990. The land was to be used for "economic development purposes, including a bingo operation, smokeshop, arts and crafts shop, gas station, convenience store and tribal town office."

However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs required Creek Nation's approval for this, since it was considered Creek Nation land. Creek Nation denied the Kialegee tribe request.

Ellis says expansion plans for River Spirit Casino are on hold due to this issue with the Kialegee tribe. Plans include adding a new hotel on River Spirit's property. Ellis says a new casino in Broken Arrow would not be good for business for Creek Nation. He says 28 percent of their casino players are from Broken Arrow. If that business is lost to the planned casino, he says the tribe could lose $20 million a year in revenue.

The Kialegee tribe released this statement regarding the casino plans earlier this week:

"The Kialegee Tribal Town project is the epitome of the Congressional vision for Indian economic development. The Kialegee Tribal Town, to date, has had no viable economic development opportunities. As such, the Kialegee Tribal Town is dependent on limited allocations and subsidies to fund its Tribal operations. Consequently, the Kialegee Tribal Town does not possess the resources to provide any programming to serve the needs of its members. This is one of the very reasons the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was enacted.

The City of Broken Arrow has published plans to expand the very roads surrounding the Broken Arrow South Loop which includes the property where our project will be located to five lanes. One of the reasons for the infrastructure improvements is to better accommodate an area that has been identified by the city as attractive for business development. The Broken Arrow South Loop (Creek) turnpike has been repeatedly identified as an area "which offer(s) prime sites for commercial, office, retail, and industrial development".

Our project will create job opportunities which we believe Congressman Sullivan supports and will increase the purchases of goods and services in Broken Arrow. It is a widely established fact that employment, purchases, and tax payments made by tribal casinos lead to increased business for surrounding communities."

-Mekko Tiger Hobia, Kialegee Tribal Town