Our 65,000-square-foot gaming floor is where all the lights and sounds of winnin’ greet you as soon as you walk through the door. With over 2,200 games, your favorite machines are all right here waiting for you, and there’s always a new game to discover just around the corner. Apr 07, 2018 Information, maps, photos, and reviews of overnight RV Parking available at the Wind Creek Casino. Tribal Chair and CEO Stephanie Bryan speaks during a grand opening ceremony for the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem on Oct. The Atmore-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians is proposing a.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,340 (2006)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (Alabama) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Muscogee | |
| Religion | |
| Protestant, traditional beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Muscogee Creek tribes[2] |
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in Alabama. (The state has recognized nine other tribes.) Speaking the Muskogee language, they were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi.
They are located mostly in Escambia County. Since the late twentieth century, they have operated three gaming casinos and a hotel on their reservation. This has enabled them to generate revenues for education and welfare.
History[edit]
The Poarch Band members descend from Muscogee Creek Indians of the Lower Towns who sided with the United States against the rebelling Northern Creek 'Red Sticks' in the Creek War of 1813–1814. Their ancestors had adopted more European-American practices as they had closer working relationships with them. Many of these Creek remained in Alabama despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830, by which the majority of the tribe ceded their land and were forcibly moved to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River.
The Creek in Alabama had to give up their tribal membership, and were considered United States and state citizens, as a condition of remaining. The people maintained their community ties and culture, living in Alabama as an identifiable, distinct community for the last two centuries.[3]
They gained recognition as a tribe from the federal government in the 20th century, and re-established their own government under a written constitution. The Poarch Band represents only some of the descendants of those Muscogee who were not removed.
Over the decades, many Indians in the Southeast have intermarried with African-American or European-American neighbors. Some of their descendants assimilated into those social and cultural groups.[4] Others identified as Creek, particularly if born to Creek women. The Creek kinship system was historically matrilineal, with children considered born to the mother's clan and taking their social status from her. Descent and property passed through the maternal line. Such mixed-race children of Creek women are full members of the tribe.
Tribal membership requirements[edit]
To be eligible to enroll in the Poarch Band tribe, people must be descended from one or more American Indians listed on one of three rolls: the 1870 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; 1900 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama; or 1900 U.S. Special Indian Census of Monroe County, Alabama. Besides being of direct Muscogee Creek heritage, they must have a minimum blood quantum of 1/4 American Indian blood (equivalent to one full-blooded Creek grandparent) and not be enrolled in any other tribe. Each federally recognized tribe has the right to make its own rules of citizenship.[5]
Current status[edit]
The Poarch Creek Indian Reservation is located in southern Alabama near the city of Atmore, Alabama.[3] Their current tribal chairwoman is Stephanie Bryan.[6]
Gaming and racing[edit]
The Poarch Band has several casinos and racetracks, operating under Wind Creek Hospitality, a tribe-owned company.[7] Three of its casinos are located on sovereign tribal land in Alabama: Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Montgomery, and Wind Creek Wetumpka.[8][9] They have gradually expanded their gaming, resort and entertainment businesses beyond those on their reservation.
Beyond its reservation, the tribe owns majority stakes in Mobile Greyhound Park in Alabama, and Pensacola Greyhound Park and Creek Entertainment Gretna in Florida.[10][11] In the Caribbean, the tribe owns two hotel casinos operating under the Renaissance Hotels brand in Aruba and Curacao, which it purchased in October 2017.[12]
In Gardnerville, Nevada, the tribe financed and manages the Wa She Shu Casino, owned by the Washoe Tribe. The casino opened in May 2016.[13] In D'Iberville, Mississippi, Wind Creek purchased land for a planned casino development in March 2016.[14]
In Pennsylvania, the tribe agreed in March 2018 to purchase Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem for $1.3 billion.[15] The sale was approved in May 2019 and the casino was renamed to Wind Creek Bethlehem.[16]
Wind Creek Casino Alabama
In 2012 the tribe announced plans to expand their gaming operations at Hickory Ground in Wetumpka, Alabama. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma filed suit to prevent this, arguing that the expansion would require excavation and reinterment of remains from an historic Creek burial ground at the site.[17]
The tribe made a deal in 2016 to purchase the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, which would have been rebranded as a Wind Creek casino.[18] The sale was canceled, however, because of a dispute over licensing payments for the Margaritaville name.[19]
References[edit]
Notes
- ^'Culture.'Archived 2010-07-27 at the Wayback MachinePoarch Band of Creek Indians. (retrieved 16 July 2010)
- ^Littlefield and Parins (2011), Encyclopedia, p. 174
- ^ ab'Welcome', Poarch Band of Creek Indians Website, 2005, retrieved 23 Feb 2009
- ^Paredes, J. Anthony. 'Federal Recognition and the Poarch Creek Indians' in Paredes, J. Anthony, ed. Indians of the Southeastern United States in the Late 20th Century (Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1992) pp. 120–121
- ^'Constitution of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians'Archived 2008-11-28 at the Wayback Machine, Native American Rights Fund. 1 June 1985 (retrieved 25 Nov 2010)
- ^http://pci-nsn.gov/westminster/tribal_council.html
- ^'History'. Wind Creek Hospitality. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^George Altman (June 7, 2012). 'Alabama Indian casinos are on federal land, Interior Department says'. AL.com. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^'Properties'. Wind Creek Hospitality. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^Confirmed: Poarch Creek Indians To Purchase Greyhound Parks In Mobile And Pensacola
- ^'Creek Entertainment Gretna opens in Gadsden County'Florida Trend
- ^'Wind Creek Hospitality purchases Caribbean casino resorts' (Press release). Wind Creek Hospitality. October 18, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-19 – via PR Newswire.
- ^'Opening of Wa She Shu Casino marks landmark tribal gaming partnership' (Press release). Wind Creek Hospitality. May 26, 2016. Retrieved 2017-10-19 – via PR Newswire.
- ^Mary Perez (March 29, 2016). 'Poarch Creek Indians buy casino site in D'Iberville'. The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^Harris, Jon; Radzievich, Nicole (March 8, 2018). 'Sands Bethlehem casino to be sold to Alabama Indian tribe for $1.3 billion'. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^Harris, Jon (May 29, 2019). 'With state's approval, Wind Creek Bethlehem plans to become 'No. 1 resort destination in the Northeast''. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- ^Cameron Shriver, Milestones: 'September 2013: Reflecting on Justice 200 Years after the Creek Civil War', Origins,Ohio State University, accessed 28 September 2013
- ^Brad Harper (June 27, 2016). 'Alabama tribe strikes deal to buy Margaritaville casino'. The Times. Shreveport, LA. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^Vickie Welborn (April 24, 2017). 'Margaritaville Casino ends merger with Alabama Indian tribe'. KTBS-TV. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
Bibliography
- Littlefield, Jr., Daniel F. and James W. Parins, ed. Encyclopedia of American Indian Removal, Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2011. ISBN978-0-313-36041-1.
External links[edit]
- Poarch Band of Creek Indians, official website
- Poarch Band of Creek Indians Tribal Code, National Indian Law Library
This is a list of casinos in Alabama.
- 2History
List of casinos[edit]
| Casino | City | County | State | District | Type | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoryland | Shorter | Macon | Alabama | Racino (greyhound) | No table games | |
| Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Atmore | Atmore | Escambia | Alabama | Native American | No table games 31°06′14″N87°29′00″W / 31.1038°N 87.4834°W | |
| Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Montgomery | Montgomery | Montgomery | Alabama | Native American | No table games | |
| Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Wetumpka | Wetumpka | Elmore | Alabama | Native American | No table games 32°31′34″N86°12′30″W / 32.5260°N 86.2083°W |
History[edit]
Legality of electronic bingo[edit]
Alabama has had many 'electronic bingo' parlors which feature slot machines that are or are similar to Class II gaming machines. The legality of these vary from county to county, and are in a near-constant state of flux. In particular, most such parlors were closed through the efforts of an anti-gambling task force put in place by Gov. Bob Riley early in 2010. But in March 2010, the Alabama Supreme Court determined that Riley did not have the authority to convene such a task force, but that power rested with Attorney GeneralTroy King. Shortly after the task force was sidelined, e-bingo parlors reopened in cities which had previously enacted ordinances permitting and regulating such halls. Additionally, Victoryland also reopened after a brief closure. (Greenetrack and the three Poarch Band of Indians gaming facilities did not close.)
At one time, several counties in Alabama featured numerous e-bingo halls, most notably Walker County, with halls large and small mostly concentrated along the former U.S. Highway 78 between Jasper and the Jefferson County line, ranging in size from converted small storefronts to large halls with hundreds of machines. But a ruling in a lawsuit by the Walker County sheriff determined that the machines in the county's halls were illegal, and the halls were forced to close. District attorneys in Jefferson County used that ruling to justify their order of closure for halls in that county. However, several large halls in Fairfield remained open because the city had passed specific ordinances permitting them. Those halls closed during the governor's task force raids in January 2010, but reopened on March 12, 2010 when the task force was invalidated. They again closed briefly in April 2010, as a part of the ongoing controversy over their legality and a dispute over jurisdiction between Riley and King.
In late May 2010, in yet another legal action in the anti-gambling feud between Riley and King, the Alabama Supreme Court determined that Riley had the ultimate authority to appoint an anti-gambling task force. Riley then announced plans to reactivate the task force, and the district attorney in the Bessemer Cutoff area of Jefferson County (including Fairfield) advised halls there to shut down immediately, or risk having their machines seized. King announced he would no longer interfere with the governor's efforts. Halls began closures on May 24, 2010. Victoryland and Greenetrack remained open for the time being. Poarch Creek operations were not affected, as the state has no jurisdiction over them.
Fairfield legalized large electronic bingo halls in mid-2009, with certain requirements for minimum number of gaming machines. Bamaco Bingo opened in September 2009 with more than 800 machines installed and announced plans for up to 5,000 machines. Two other large e-bingo halls, Bingo Fantastico and World Bingo, later opened adjacent to Bamaco, followed by Legacy Bingo in March 2010. All except Bingo Fantastico occupied empty 'big box' retail stores; Bingo Fantastico replaced a roller skating rink. Three other small bingo halls, including one that shared space with an automotive repair shop, were also located in Fairfield. The city received a permit fee of $100 per machine per month, and bingo was a major tax source for the city.
Bessemer, Alabama had some e-bingo halls in place, but their legality was in question due to a dispute between the city council, which voted to allow the halls, and the mayor, who opposed gambling. Those halls remained closed after the task force invalidation. Other smaller halls were located in cities and unincorporated areas near Bessemer; they also closed later.
Wind Creek Casino Atmore Al
Two other large e-bingo halls, Country Crossing in Dothan and White Hall Gaming Center between Selma and Montgomery, were shut down by the task force.
Montgomery Al Casino Wind Creek
Throughout the controversy, the Poarch Creek band's operations not only continued, they expanded. Facilities in Wetumpka, Atmore and suburban Montgomery added to their gaming floors, and the Wetumpka and Atmore facilities added new high-rise hotels.
In July 2010, after all legal avenues were exhausted, state police and the task force shut down machines at Greenetrack in Eutaw, Alabama, then later at Victoryland. And on October 4, 2010, federal prosecutors filed charges against and arrested Victoryland owner Milton McGregor and several members of the Alabama State Senate in a corruption investigation regarding the entire affair.[1]
In 2016, after winning a ruling in a federal court against the state, Victoryland reopened its electronic bingo floor on September 14, 2016.[2]
Gallery[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Byerele, Dana (2010-10-04). 'VictoryLand owner, state senators arrested'. The Tuscaloosa News.
- ^Moon, Josh (September 14, 2016). ''Victoryland reopens to large crowd''. Montgomery Advertiser.
External links[edit]
- Media related to Casinos in Alabama at Wikimedia Commons