South Carolina Supreme Court Rules Against Video Poker

As part of its land settlement, the Catawba Tribe of South Carolina apparently agreed to be excluded from the coverage of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Given that limitation, the Tribe has sought to push the envelop on gaming as far as it could within the lawful bounds of the settlement in order to facilitate its tribal economic development and support. It already maintains two bingo halls. Today the Tribe was handed a setback when the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that video poker and other electronic gaming were not permitted under the terms of the settlement and that the state legal prohibition on video poker applied to the Tribe, a position hotly disputed by the leadership of the Tribe. The Court's opinion can be found here.
A news story about the case, including reactions by tribal leaders can be found here.