Out of 1,611 Native American casinos in the U.S., Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan, owned by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, recently was named “Casino of the Year” at the 2014 International Entertainment Buyers Association meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. Now the Little River Band would like to use that honor, which focused on a casino’s entertainment and overall experience, to move forward on a proposed 0 million off-reservation casino at a former racetrack in Muskegon, in Fruitport Township.
Little River Casino Resort General Manager Wendell Long said, “It’s one of those things that are secret until they announce it. They do send people to review the casino but we don’t know who.” He added, “No one in the Midwest has ever won it before. Five other finalists included
Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York and Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Long noted the tribe’s award-winning formula could “absolutely” be recreated in the Muskegon area. “We’ve already done it up here in Manistee. We can do it. We want to be part of the synergy that makes Muskegon even better,” Long said. The tribe is in the midst of securing state and federal approval for the second casino.
