Federal Court: State Can’t Force Poarch Creek Casinos to Close

A federal appeals court has ruled against Alabama’s effort to close casinos run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

The 11th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Alabama did not have a right to bring a federal claim to try to enjoin the tribe’s gambling operations.  The three-judge panel upheld a lower court’s ruling that only the federal government could regulate the operations on tribal land.

The tribe has three casinos with electronic bingo machines, which closely resemble slot machines

Alabama had filed a lawsuit claiming that casinos were a nuisance to the people of Alabama.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange says he does not intend to appeal the ruling.

 

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