“Land is so important to so many tribes around the country, not only because of the history of having it taken away, but also culturally speaking,” said Kathryn Rand, dean of the University of North Dakota’s law school and an Indian gaming expert.īut efforts to exercise sovereign power over land once controlled by non-Indians often draws criticism not only from gambling foes but also from those who fear an erosion of property taxes and local government control, Rand said. The Sycuan Band of Mission Indians is one of many tribes nationwide that have bought land in recent years and then sought to annex it to their reservations. The application to the federal government rankled neighbors who say traffic and crime have changed the once-tranquil Dehesa Valley since the Sycuan Casino opened and question the need for the change. “We have no plans to put a casino anywhere but where it is right now,” Sycuan Chairman Daniel Tucker said.
The tribe earlier this year scuttled plans for a second casino.
