More than 100 people recently attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Palace Casino and Hotel in Cass Lake, Minnesota, including members of the Leech Lake tribal council, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Charlie Vig, Leech Lake Gaming Director Mike Auger and other officials. Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson Sr. said, “I get excited with the job creations and additional revenue that’s going to come our way to provide more services. I want to say thank you to our membership for allowing this day to happen. It wouldn’t have happened without your consent.”
Tribal members approved the $45-$50 million casino project in a 1,244 to 341 vote held on May 16. Financing recently was secured through the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
Palace Casino profits had been declining due to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the building, which was not designed to be a gambling facility. It was remodeled in the early 1980s but maintenance and repair costs continued to accelerate. Once the new casino is completed in summer 2019, the tribal council will consider options for repurposing the building. Council member LeRoy Fairbanks III noted, “We’ve made it work with what we had, out where the current casino is at, for a long time, ever since the inception.”
Leech Lake Secretary-Treasurer Arthur “Archie” LaRose stated, “Without gaming revenue we wouldn’t be able to do many of the positive things on this reservation. We’re the largest employer in Cass County here, and we don’t only help our people out, we help our neighbors out. This is a win for all of us.”
The new casino will be more visible in its new location on Highway 2 Frontage Road in Cass Lake, and will offer slots and blackjack, a 100-room hotel, food court, brew pub, restaurant, event center, gift shop and arcade.
The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe also operates the White Oak Casino near Deer River and the Northern Lights Casino near Walker.
