Oneida Tribe of Indians Casinos have the right to operate

A leader of the Oneida Tribe of Indians says the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision confirms their operation's legal status, casino gambling on Native American reservations in Wisconsin will continue.

"Our position throughout has been that our gaming operations were consistent with the laws," Oneida tribal chairman Gerald Danforth said Friday. "What this decision shows is that our operations and the compact we signed with the governor are well within the laws."

"We were concerned. With court rulings in this day and age, you never know what might happen."

In its decision, the court ruling to curtail the Las Vegas-style gambling that is legal on land held by 11 tribes in Wisconsin. Those tribes operate 28 casinos.

Because of gaming, the tribe employs 3,100 tribal and nontribal workers, said Bill Gollnick, chief of staff for the tribe.

Revenues from the Oneida Casino are the economic engines for the tribe, Danforth said. Profits support Native Americans health care, public safety, social service, education and other businesses, such as hotels. It allows the tribe to pay local fees for services to local government, Danforth noted.

The widely anticipated ruling comes in the case of Dairyland Greyhound Park, a Kenosha dog track, which had argued that the Native American casinos were illegal because of a 1993 state constitutional amendment limiting gambling. The amendment clarifies that all types of gambling are prohibited in the state except bingo, raffles, pari-mutuel on track betting and the state-run lottery.

Casino on Native American land include slot machines, card games, roulette and craps. The court also affirmed the governor's right to renegotiate those contracts. The tribe operating casinos in the state do so under compacts signed by both the tribes and the governor.