Despite pending lawsuits, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska has opened its new casino on the Iowa-Nebraska border near Council Bluffs.
The tribe held a ribbon-cutting Thursday for the Prairie Flower Casino on tribal land in Carter Lake, Iowa.
Ponca Tribe Chairman Larry Wright Jr. says proceeds from the casino will directly benefit tribal citizens and Carter Lake.
He says the city will receive annual financial contributions from the casino, and tribe members will get more sustainable funding for services such as health care, job training, cultural education and land preservation.
Officials from Iowa, Nebraska and Council Bluffs are suing federal officials who approved the project, which will compete with state-licensed Iowa casinos.
The casino will be open all year, around the clock for patrons who are at least 21 years old.
Photo by Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
