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CASINO OPERATOR WINS COURT ROUND
Albany (AP) - A U.S. District judge declined Wednesday to close the brand
new Turning Stone casino while opponents inside the Oneida Indian Nation
battle in court over the authority of a tribal official to operate the
gambling hall.
Opponents are challenging the authority of Raymond Halbritter,
federally recognized representative of the Oneida tribe, to run the $10
million casino in Verona, about 30 miles east of Syracuse, that opened
Tuesday.
Opponents contend the casino never received proper approval from
the National Indian Gaming Commission.
One of the challengers, John
[sorry, this machine is acting bad today]
One of the challengers, John Dyer Jr. of Lafayette, said that
opponents are concerned more with questions of tribal sovereignty than
with the casino's operation. The 1,100-member Oneida Indian Nation never
voted on whether they wanted a casino, he said. Halbritter was unavail-
able for comment Wednesday.
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More to come as events (and coverage) dictate.
-Pat Crowe, SUNY at Buffalo