PEMBROKE, N.C. -- A North Carolina Indian tribe has approved a contract with a casino consultant that could risk all of the tribe's assets if members decide they don't want gambling.
The Fayetteville Observer reported Friday the Lumbee Tribal Council endorsed a contract with Lewin International, although the tribal representative whose name is on the contract said he never
saw it.
The contract includes penalties of $35 million if the council can't get the rest of the tribe to agree to gambling, putting at risk all tribal assets, including homes and public buildings.
Congress recognized the Lumbees in 1956 but did not give the tribe's 50,000 or so members in the Robeson County area the full recognition that would bring millions of dollars in aid for education, health and child welfare.
Information from: The Fayetteville Observer
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