The White Earth Nation recently announced it will build its third Shooting Star brand casino on Star Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, to be completed in 2017. The tribe operates a casino in Mahomen and is building another near Bagley, scheduled to open next spring. Officials at the management company Shooting Star Casino, Hotel, and Entertainment , said the property will feature a gaming floor with slots and table games, hotel and RV park, ballroom, buffet and bar and grill, deli, gift shop and entertainment options.
Shooting Star Casino General Manager Bill Marsh said, “Our hope is that the new casino will help draw more visitors to the area and make the Star Lake and Dent region a true destination as well as improve business growth.” In addition, the operation will create hundreds of new jobs for tribal members and area residents, Marsh said, adding a portion of annual gaming revenue will go toward health, educational, environmental and other tribal services.
The tribe has not involved Otter Tail County in planning nor has it applied for land-use permits, said County Director of Tourism and Economic Development Nicholas Leonard. “Until we get a better sense of the proposal, it’s hard to say what Otter Tail County’s role would be,” he stated.
Meanwhile, some residents are alarmed by the news of the casino. Carolyn Herron, president of the Star Lake Property Owners Association, said, “This is a neighborhood of summer lake cabins and family-owned resorts. I really don’t know what kind of neighbor a casino would be. We’re particularly worried about their lakeshore property. I don’t know if they’d use the lake heavily.”
Lee Mindemann, a member of the Star Lake Township Board, added, “Another 100 or 200 boats on this lake just amplifies or exaggerates the potential” for invasive species. We’re pretty much a pristine lake and don’t have any of those issues and don’t want any.” He added, “You’ve got no road infrastructure to get here.”
