Oklahoma tribe aiming to open Georgia casino

News outlets in Georgia report the UKB is looking at land near Ball Ground, a town of roughly 1,400 residents, which coincidentally is in Georgia's Cherokee County.

However, it was reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal was not enthusiastic about tribal gaming in Georgia, a state that does not permit casino gambling or parimutuel betting.

Speaking about the UKB plan, Deal said, "My personal opinion is I don't think we want that in our state. If it were to go to a federally designated Indian reservation, we lose that control. And I'm not in favor of losing that control."

The UKB plan also finds itself in competition with state legislation that would allow the opening of a "destination resort" in Atlanta and another in Augusta, Columbus or Savannah, where gaming would be permitted.

Assistant Chief Jamie Thompson was aware of the governor's statement, but said he was optimistic, based on some of what he hears from the Georgia statehouse.

"These are preliminary negotiations, so I can't go into any detail, but I can say that they are really positive," Thompson said. "I don't know how many calls I've received from people who are really excited. There is a lot of good feedback."

For Georgia to permit destination resorts, state legislation must pass Georgia's House of Representatives and Senate by two-thirds supermajorities; hurdle a statewide referendum to amend the state constitution to allow gaming; then survive any applicable county referendums in which residents would decide whether they want a casino nearby.

Richard Lea, an Atlanta attorney representing the UKB, said the state process could take up to seven years, while the tribe could avoid jumping through some hoops if it chooses.

The UKB holds a corporate charter with the U.S. Department of the Interior; hence, the tribe has corporate powers. It need not go through the lengthy process of placing land in federal trust to open a casino.

Though the tribe need not forge a partnership with Georgia to open a casino, it would prefer to do so. Anile Locust of the UKB Corporate Board told the Journal-Constitution an agreement with the state before land purchase "would be so much easier." The UKB could partner with other gaming concerns that have expressed interest in the "destination resort" plan.

Should any casinos open in Georgia, the state wants them taxed at a higher rate than the 12 percent usually sought by the gaming industry. The legislation calls for taxation at 20 percent. When previous gaming legislation was introduced, Deal suggested taxing at 24-35 percent to offset any impact the casinos might have on the state lottery.

Georgia puts most of its lottery money in the state's HOPE Scholarship program, which funds tuition assistance for students pursuing undergraduate degrees at Georgia universities. A portion of casino revenues would also go to the HOPE program.

When asserting the UKB's case, Lea noted that the tribe wanted to site its casino in northern Georgia, part of the Cherokees' traditional lands before the Removal. His comments to the Cherokee Tribune and Ledger-News in Canton, Ga., on Wednesday raised some eyebrows when they made their way to Tahlequah.

Lea told the paper that traveling to Tahlequah was "sort of like going to Afghanistan."

"It's a third-world country," he said. "Many of them don't have water, don't have electricity. Doctors are scarce. They're poverty-stricken. They don't have jobs, they don't have money. They're totally destitute and these are the people who originally owned the land that you and I stand on."

Thompson said he believes Lea was referring to tribal hardships rather than Tahlequah itself.

"When you compare Atlanta to Tahlequah - well, you can't really compare Atlanta and Tahlequah," Thompson said.

He added that Lea was aware of the tension between the Cherokee Nation and UKB, "and the situation the Cherokee Nation has put us in, economically."