LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, June 15, 2022) – For now, there won’t be gaming in the area near the US-31/I-96 junction southeast of Muskegon.
On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer denied a request by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians to build a $200 million casino and resort at the site of the former Great Lakes Downs horse racing track. Supporters say the proposal would have created over three thousand jobs for Tribal members and families, and the denial ends a 12-year quest to build the project.
The Little River Band, who already operates the Little River Casino in Manistee, had wanted to branch out into a more populous market of Muskegon-Grand Rapids, but this area has been claimed by the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, who say that they have been fighting for more than three decades to get federal recognition of their tribe. Such a decision by the US Department of the Interior won’t come until October, and the department refused the Governor’s request for an extension of the June 16th deadline for agreeing to the Little River Band’s casino proposal.
While the Governor says that the Grand River Bands can open a casino in the same area if they get the federal recognition, all that the tribe will say at this point is that they are only seeking the recognition “to access resources that are only afforded to federally recognized tribes such as tuition, health care and housing assistance,” making no reference as to any possible gaming house plans.
The Little River Band casino proposal for Fruitport had already been opposed by the operators of the three Detroit casinos nearly 200 miles away, as well as other Native American groups such as the Gun Lake Tribe of eastern Allegan County who run casinos closer to the site and claim that their revenues would be adversely affected.
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