LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson announced May 30 that he will challenge the federal government’s November 2017 approval of a casino proposed in Iowa by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Joining Peterson in the challenge are the state of Iowa and the city of Council Bluffs.
The land under dispute was put into a trust in the early 2000s for the tribe, but was done so under the assumption that the Ponca would use the land to build a health care facility. Additionally, federal law limits the tribe’s lands to Knox and Boyd counties in Nebraska, which are more than 100 miles from Carter Lake.
Peterson argues the casino's location would disrupt order in nearby Omaha. Specifically, he says the negative effects of expanded gambling will spill over into Omaha. Additionally, traveling to Carter Lake involves travel through Nebraska. Peterson argues a gambling problem in Carter Lake is a gambling problem for Nebraska.
