Tribe sues over use of games

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Santee Sioux Tribe has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a decision that it cannot legally operate video poker, blackjack, roulette and other games at its Ohiya Casino in northeast Nebraska.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha, says the U.S. Department of the Interior's ruling was arbitrary, capricious and deprives the tribe of needed income.

"The Santee Sioux Nation relies heavily on revenues from its facility to support its governmental programs in order to meet the economic and socio-economic needs of its members," the lawsuit says.