FRUITPORT, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – The traditional line from a wedding ceremony – “speak now or forever hold your peace” – could perhaps apply as a second Native American casino near the Lakeshore may be a step closer to reality.
The US Bureau of Indian Affairs holds a 6 PM public hearing this evening in the auditorium of Fruitport Middle School, as the agency seeks comment on the Environmental Impact Statement drawn up by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians for a proposed trust acquisition and casino project at the site of the former Great Lakes Downs horse racing track.
The tribe, who already operates the Little River Casino in Manistee, wants to build a 180 million-dollar complex that would include a 69 thousand square foot gaming house and a 220-room hotel near the junction of US-31 and I-96 southeast of Muskegon. Those who cannot attend this meeting but want to make their opinions known to the bureau have until January 7th to submit written comments to Felix Kitto (felix.kitto@bia.gov).
If the trust acquisition and casino project are approved by the BIA, with a decision expected by this spring, tribal officials are hopeful to have the facility open in 2020. This operation would be less than 60 miles away from the Gun Lake Casino in Bradley, which is operated by the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, but lies outside of a nine-county no-compete exclusivity deal that the Gun Lake Tribe has with the state for slot machine revenue sharing.
