BA City Council To Approve Resolution Opposing Illegal Gaming

The Broken Arrow City Council is expected to approve a resolution opposing illegal gaming in Broken Arrow at its August 1 meeting, the city said Friday. 

The move by the council is in response to rumors that gaming machines will be installed and operated at a new restaurant scheduled to open in August, the city said in a news release. The restaurant, Embers Grille, is located on a Muscogee (Creek) Nation allotment south of the Creek Turnpike and west of Olive Street in BA. It's expected to open as a dance hall and grill.

7/19/2017 Related Story: BA City Leaders Hope To Meet With New Grill Owners To Address Illegal Gaming Concerns

"City leaders have been told that the Muscogee Creek Nation has jurisdiction and, as such, regulates the issuance of permits to game at this location," the news release states. 

To game or run a casino on Indian land, a company needs the tribe's approval, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation hasn't given it, so it would be illegal.

A Creek Nation spokesperson said the tribe will release a statement prior to the Broken Arrow City Council meeting on Tuesday. 

The City of Broken Arrow has also hired an attorney in the illegal gaming issue, the city said. 

The August 1 resolution will authorize the attorney, Stephen Bugg, to notify the National Indian Gaming Commission of the city council's objection to illegal gaming on the allotment land. Bugg will also be authorized to contact other federal agencies in regards to the gaming issue, the city said. 

The resolution also recognizes the Muscogee (Creek) Nation leadership's efforts to "address illegal gaming on the site and willingness to work together on matters of common and public safety."

The August 1 meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers, located at 220 S. First Street in BA.

View the council's full resolution below.