The Bush administration told Congress Wednesday that Indian tribes face long odds in winning federal approval for casinos hundreds of miles away from their reservations. Along with 10 other tribes, The Mississippi Band of Choctaws received a letter from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in January rejecting the application for a casino in Jackson County, almost 200 miles from the tribe's reservation in Neshoba County.

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors postponed voting on a resolution that would declare the board opposed to a Mississippi Choctaw Band of Indians casino in the county. As Supervisor Frank Leach was absent, the officials agreed to wait until all five members are present for the vote, which has been set for the November 26 meeting. In e-mails sent to media and each supervisor, Leach said he had medical appointments.