The Oneida Nation fought alongside the settlers in the American War of Independence and has been fighting practically ever since for their land. Following years of negotiations the Oneidas decided not to wait any longer for a land claim settlement and launched themselves into the gaming industry with a bingo operation in a trailer. This has now become the Turning Stone Casino Resort.

Fourteen years ago in 1993 the Oneida Nation signed a compact with the then New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, and opened Turning Stone. The deal was not lucrative for the state, it did not include any share of the revenue, and in 1999 a lawsuit was filed claiming that Cuomo had needed legislative approval for the compact. A New York judge agreed and the state demanded 33% of Turning Stone revenue for a new compact. In 2006 the Oneida Nation is thought to have made a profit of over US$115 million.

The Mohawks and Senecas, following similar cases, have agreed to give New York a share of gambling revenue. The US Department of the Interior reconsidered its approval of the 1993 Oneida compact because of the series of court decisions that have pronounced it illegal, and the fact that tribe and state could not come to an agreement over a new compact. This week the Department has upheld the legality of the original compact because any challenge had to be made within six years. As the lawsuit failed to be lodged within this time, the Oneida Nation can keep operating Turning Stone under the terms of the original compact. (E-06.14.07)

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