The Council Bluffs City Council is formally on record opposing a plan by the Ponca tribe to build a casino in Carter Lake.

The Ponca tribe originally planned to use the land as a medical facility but early this year those plans changed and now the tribe wants to build a casino.

The National Indian Gaming Commission gave its go-ahead earlier this year and that triggered a lawsuit from the Iowa Attorney General.

This has not gone unnoticed in Council Bluffs where there are already three casinos up and running. The Bluffs city council voted unanimously Monday night to support the state's lawsuit against the casino.

Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan supports the resolution because the existing casinos have become an import part of the Bluffs economy.

"We have over 4,000 people employed in the industry here," he said. "They also pay a lot of property taxes, not only to the city but also to the county. They also put a lot of income tax into the area."

It's not just about income and property taxes. Every time a patron goes through the turnstile at one of the three Bluffs casinos the City of Council Bluffs gets 50 cents.

Casino revenue also goes to the Iowa West Foundation. The foundation received $8.1 million from the casinos and through its investments was able to distribute $25 million to area civic projects this year.

A casino run by the Ponca tribe, cutting into the profits of three existing casinos, would not be required to make those kinds of payments but in a release last week, the Ponca tribe stressed its casino will have community benefits, "strengthening the economic vitality of the tribe and Iowa. We remain eager to create a partnership that will greatly benefit Iowans."

The council vote puts the city on record as being opposed to the plan but the actual decision on the fate of the new casino will rest with a judge.