August 10

In Iowa, officials for the Meskwaki Tribe stated that their plans to enlarge their casino would be stopped if a new regulatory agreement wasn't reached soon with the state of Iowa.

The State Department of Inspections and Appeals and the Meskwaki Tribe have been speaking with each other and negotiating since January of this year. Homer Bear Jr., Tribal Council Chairman said that a planned $100 million expansion of the casino is in danger of not happening at all. Chairman Bear also restated that if the state and the Meskwaki tribe do not in fact meet an agreement in a timely manner that their will not be any expansion to their casino at all.

Under rules from a federal level, the state of Iowa and the tribe must come to an agreement that clearly spells out all of the issues including game regulations and licensing. The eight year pact that the two parties had expired back in June of 2003. This pact will stay in order until a new agreement is reached and a new deal is signed.

In February of this year, the Meskwaki Tribe stated their intentions regarding a new expansion to the existing casino and hotel that would more than double it in size. The casino is located in the area of Tama, Iowa.

It is said that the main issues still up in the air are fire protection and police protection. The state says it does not receive enough revenue from the casino to be able to pay for these types of services.