Following a 12-year effort, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Ogema Larry Romanelli recently announced the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe’s plans for a casino in Muskegon County, Michigan. “We meet all of the requirements that we needed to meet, which we knew was going to happen,” Romanelli said.
He added the next step will be to seek approval from the state legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who has not stated a position on the casino. “The state and the governor have been notified. It’s basically in their hands and so that’s where we’re at,” Romanelli stated.
The venue will be built at the former site of the Great Lakes Downs racetrack, where the old sign has been replaced by one from the tribe thanking the community for their support. It also says the project is “rolling forward.”
The new casino would feature about 69,000 square feet of gaming including 1,700 slot machines and 35 table games, plus a 220-room hotel, event and meeting space and dining and entertainment options. It would create 1,500 temporary construction jobs and1,500 new full-time jobs. “Jobs are the big thing, that’s why we have so much support for this. We’re doing it for the community, obviously the tribe will benefit from it and so will the state,” Romanelli said.
The 4,200-member tribe currently operates the Little River Casino in Manistee.
