Governor pledges to work with tribe on casino

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 9:26 a.m.

LANDER, Wyo. -- After losing a lengthy court battle to stop plans to build a high-stakes casino, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he would work with the Northern Arapaho Tribe to make the operation successful even though he still believes gambling is not good for the tribe economically.

"It generally works with areas with huge population bases," Freudenthal told a conference discussing topics affecting the Wind River Indian Reservation on Tuesday. "As a matter of state policy, I never thought it made sense here."

After years of litigation, the Northern Arapaho Tribe won a decision July 8 over the state in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that granted the tribe permission to operate Las Vegas-style gambling on the reservation.

"You fight the good fight, and I got whipped," Freudenthal said. "I want to make sure this is a positive outcome for the tribes and community as we can make it."

The gaming rules for the tribe are being considered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

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