Quapaw casino growth plans continue to generate opposition

The Quapaw Tribe of Indians continues to face resistance to $15 million expansion plans for Downstream Casino Resort, perhaps most notably in the form of a lawsuit from the state of Kansas.

The casino owners plan to increase the Quapaw, Okla.-based facility’s footprint by 40,000 square feet to offer dice games – illegal for tribal gaming in Oklahoma, but fair play in the Sunflower State. Downstream already operates an outdoor entertainment venue across the state line.

Kansas also has filed suit against the federal government to stop the development, claiming Gov. Sam Brownback has the power to approve or veto gambling on tribal lands obtained after the Indian Gaming Act when into effect in 1988. The Kansas land was originally part of the tribe’s holdings under a federal treaty after being relocated from Arkansas in 1834.

The Quapaw have denied the tribe plans to develop a casino on 160 acres near Little Rock Port in Little Rock, Ark.

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