Posted Wednesday, June 15, 2011 --- 11:43 a.m.

BELOIT, Wis. (AP) -- Tribal leaders are encouraged by the new possibility for off-reservation casinos in Wisconsin, including one in Beloit.

The Obama administration on Tuesday killed rules that had put strict conditions on creating off-reservation casinos. The rules were created in the waning days of the Bush administration and, in part, made it more difficult to build Indian casinos that would be located far from a reservation.

he St. Croix and Bad River bands of Chippewa have been working to build a casino in Beloit for more than 10 years. St. Croix tribal attorney Aaron Loomis says the disbanded rules "make the process easier again." And Beloit City Manager Larry Arft says the move "removes the improperly imposed restriction on the rights of Native American tribes."

Loomis tells the Beloit Daily News the tribal councils will now reconvene to decide how to proceed.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.