American Indian Ancestry Enters Bingo Hall Dispute - 03-20-08

March 20 - The Chief of the Tallige Cherokee Tribe in Ohio, 69-year old Oliver Collins, has told authorities that he will not pay the $4000 licensing fee as a prerequisite for running a bingo hall in the state.

While the Tallige tribe is not officially recognized by the federal government, Collins insists that he did not need a license because of his American-Indian ancestry. Although several American-Indian bingo halls and casinos do exist across the country, they are all subject to the same licensing laws. Monica Maloney, who works in the Ohio attorney general's office, said that she had never come across a case of a bingo hall refusing to pay for a license based on ancestry.

As a result of this American-Indian bingo hall operating without a license, state agents and the local sheriff's office swarmed the premises earlier this week and confiscated tax records and cash before closing it down. An indignant Collins told reporters that although he had expected trouble for running the bingo hall without a license, he did not expect such extreme action. "I thought they would recognize I was doing only what I was entitled to do," he said, claiming that the sacrifices of his ancestors gave him the right to do what he wanted on his land.

According to previous records, the Cherokee Bingo Hall showed that it made $1.58-million in revenue in the 2005-2006 period, although claimed that profits stood at less than $15,500 - among the lowest in the region. Collins said money from the bingo hall was being used to educate the community's younger generation and hold religious conferences.?

Collins said: "They are trying to assimilate us by hurting us in the pocketbook. We advance our nation, we fight for our people, and we are a religious organization. But they are still trying to kill the Indians."