Tribe wants to build casino in downtown Oklahoma City

Monday, July 11, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Shawnee Tribe wants to build a casino in downtown Oklahoma City or the Bricktown entertainment district, a newspaper reported Sunday.

In a copyrighted story in Sunday's editions of The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett confirmed he had a series of discussions with tribal representatives. Cornett said he opposes the idea but may not be able to stop it.

"I'm an optimistic person by nature, but I don't see anything good from a tribal casino coming to downtown Oklahoma City," Cornett said. "It's not conducive to what we're trying to create. There's been a lot of public money put into that area, and we're protective of it."

Tribal officials said they haven't bought any Oklahoma City land, nor have they discussed their intentions with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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