Little River Band’s MI Casino Project Looks to be Dead
After many years and many millions invested, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians’ (LRB) proposed $180 million casino project in Muskegon County, Mich. appears to be dead. According to a Jan. 6 report from the Manistee News Advocate, LRB chief Larry Romanelli said ” it looks like we’re at the end of our line.” He went on to add that his attorneys told him the deal looks “pretty much dead.”
If approved, the casino would’ve been located at the site of the former Great Lake Downs track, which the tribe purchased in 2008 after it closed the previous year. The so-called Lakeshore Casino and Resort would have featured 1,700 slots and 35 tables. The LRB operates an existing casino in Manistee.
The reason why the project likely won’t move forward is that it is off-reservation. Despite the fact that the U.S. Department of Interior agreed to take the land into trust in 2020, any off-reservation casino projects must receive approval from the state’s governor. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer refused to do so in 2022 because of conflicts with another nearby tribe, the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians (GRB).
The GRB sought federal recognition and claimed ties to the land that the LRB casino was planned for. The tribe was eventually denied federal recognition in 2023 but the LRB project still looks to be finished.
Medford Casino Project Can Move Ahead
A U.S. District Court judge denied a motion that would have halted plans for a tribal casino in Medford, Ore., per a Jan. 7 report in the Rogue Valley Times. Three regional tribes filed for an injunction against a Coquille Indian Tribe proposal to build a casino.
The Coquilles are a federally recognized tribe while the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Karuk Tribe and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation are not. The trio had hoped to keep the U.S. Department of the Interior from greenlighting the project.
The local tribes say the casino will wreak economic havoc, and “would cannibalize the gaming revenues that support Tribal governmental services.” They also highlighted cultural and environmental concerns.
Report: Seneca Niagara Workers Mulling Unionization
On Jan. 4, the Niagara Gazette reported that workers at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino have been organizing for potential unionization since at least Dec. 12. The last unionization attempts at the casino came in 2004 and 2005, and were unsuccessful.
According to the Gazette, workers are organizing with Teamsters Local 449, which represents workers in Niagara and Erie counties. Labor laws stipulate that 30 percent of workers must sign cards or petitions in favor of a union before the National Labor Relations Board can conduct and certify an election. Workers can also voluntarily recognize a union with a majority. Neither the union nor Seneca Gaming Corp. commented on the report.
Although the Senecas’ gaming compact with the state of New York makes no mention of allowing unionization, labor courts have ruled over the years that as private employers, tribes are still subject to federal labor laws.
Mohegan Reports FY 2024 Loss
Mohegan, the commercial business arm of Connecticut’s Mohegan Tribe, reported a $234 million loss for FY 2024, according to the Hartford Business Journal. The company pointed to start-up costs and low table hold at its new South Korea integrated resort as the culprits, per the Jan. 6 story.
In FY 2023, the company had $22.9 million in net income. Mohegan lost $63.3 million in the fourth quarter alone while taking in a record $1.9 billion in net revenue.
Mohegan opened the $1.6 billion Inspire Entertainment Resort in South Korea in March.
In Other News …
The Ho-Chunk Nation’s compact with the state of Wisconsin is now operational, the Beloit Daily News reported Jan. 7. The tribe in October broke ground on a new casino project.
