In Muskegon County, Michigan, leaders of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians say they’re determined to build a second $180 million casino at the former Great Lakes Downs racetrack site, despite recent setbacks.
They include a resolution introduced by state Rep. Roger Hauck and passed by House lawmakers, asking Governor Gretchen Whitmer to reject “any off-reservation effort that is not in complete conformance with Indian gaming compacts” and opposing the “unchecked proliferation of off-reservation gaming.”
The tribe already operates a casino in Manistee, but the Muskegon project, announced to the public 12 years ago, would require the state legislature to amend the tribe’s 1998 gaming compact. The property would feature a 69,000-square-foot casino and 220-room hotel.
The Muskegon site is about 80 miles from the tribe’s Manistee headquarters. However, tribal spokesperson Tom Shields said it is “far from off-reservation” because many members live in the area. In addition, Tribal Leader Larry Romanelli said he wasn’t concerned about Hauck’s resolution. “It’s in the governor’s hands now,” he said. Shields noted the tribe started the process of amending the gaming compact late last year.
State Rep. Terry Sabo, whose district includes Muskegon, said Hauck’s resolution was “directly pointed toward the proposed casino project” in Muskegon County. “It casts a negative shadow on it,” he commented. However, Sabo noted he’s “optimistic” the project will become a reality after recently meeting with Whitmer and Little River Band leaders.
Three tribes that operate casinos within a two-hour drive of Fruitport Township oppose the Little River Band’s proposed casino. A joint statement from the three tribes said the approved resolution shows the “growing sentiment against the unchecked expansion of casinos.” James Nye, a spokesperson for The Gun Lake Tribe, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, said, “We’re just simply asking that all tribes continue to play by the rules.”
Twelve tribes have gaming compacts with the state of Michigan to operate casinos on approved reservation land.
Area leaders support the Muskegon casino, which analysts said would create 1,500 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs, and generate $15 million in state tax revenue.
