COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — The Council Bluffs City Council has voted to join the state of Iowa in an effort to block a proposed casino in Carter Lake.

The council voted Monday to join lawsuits filed by the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Those lawsuits challenge the National Indian Gaming Commission’s approval of a gaming ordinance submitted by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

Council Bluffs officials say the casino would harm their nearby community.

Nebraska doesn’t permit gambling, but Iowa does. Under federal law, Native American tribes may offer gambling that is legal in a state where the tribe owns land.

Carter Lake is an Iowa town, but is on the Nebraska side of the Missouri River, just northeast of downtown Omaha.