The Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, Michigan is paying out more than $5.7 million in fall revenue sharing payments, even though it was closed for nearly three months due to Covid-19. The casino paid the state of Michigan $3.29 million, the local revenue sharing board received $1.475 million and the economic development entity GLIMI received nearly $1 million. It’s the casino’s lowest revenue sharing distribution in a 6-month period; the spring payment totaled $7.9 million. The payments are based on electronic gaming revenue reported from April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020.
With the latest payment, the Gun Lake Tribe has shared more than $98 million with the state of Michigan. The state directs the payments to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation which uses it for grants to businesses to invest in Michigan and create jobs.
The tribe’s market area includes the cities of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing, plus the counties of Kent, Kalamazoo and Ingham, among others. The tribe’s gaming compact with the state requires mandatory funding to local municipalities for costs related to the operation of the casino, public safety services and replacement of tax revenue.
