Poncas To Close Casino Temporarily

The Ponca Tribe's gaming center will have its weekend blackjack tournament, but the games will stop shortly afterward.

The tribe will close the Blue Star Gaming Center on Sunday, March 10, in an effort to appease the National Indian Gaming Commission, which threatened to force closure of the center if the tribe didn't comply with federal Indian gaming rules.

Federal regulators claim the tribe failed to perform criminal background checks on its casino employees. They also said several other internal controls, such as installing security cameras and having strict money- tracking policies, haven't been done.

Federal authorities asked for the closure to be in effect Friday. But the tribe had already planned a weekend blackjack and gaming machine tournament. Since its tournament was already advertised, the tribal council voted to close on March 10, after the tournament ends. 바다이야기

Federal officials told the tribe that the casino could reopen soon, but no date has been set.