Tribal Casino News - 2006
December 22, 2006
Six months after
breaking ground, construction on the Four Winds Casino Resort is
moving forward on schedule. The casino, owned by the Pokagon Band of
Potawatomi Indians and managed by Lakes Entertainment, is located in
New Buffalo, Mich. In addition to the casino, the human resources
building has been completed and will open in January.
December 13, 2006
The Federal Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) announced that it took into trust 79 acres of
Emmett Township land for the proposed Nottawaseppi Huron Band of
Potawatomi casino. The tribal council has a management agreement
with Full House Resorts, Inc. for the development and management of
the proposed FireKeepers Casino, an entertainment complex which will
include more than 2,000 gaming devices.
December 22, 2006
Michigan’s
Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi, also known as the Gun
Lake Tribe, encountered a setback in its proposed casino project
when the Department of Interior announced it would delay taking its
Wayland Township land into trust until March 5, 2007. The federal
government originally stated it would take the land into trust on
Jan. 5, 2007.
November 30, 2006
The Grand Traverse
Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians plans to build a new $80 million
casino and resort complex at the site of its Turtle Creek Casino in
Williamsburg, Mich. The Tribe will break ground on the new
347,000-square foot resort and casino in October 2006. The new
facility will include a 120-room hotel, a 64,000-square foot gaming
floor, a concert and entertainment area, and restaurants and shops.
Turtle Creek Casino will remain open during construction and will
close with the opening of the new complex.
October 13, 2006
The new Kewadin
Casino in St. Ignace, Mich. opened its 25,000-square-foot gaming
floor to the public. All non-gaming areas of the casino have been in
operation since June 2006.
October 13, 2006
Effective Nov. 1,
2006, Kewadin Casinos will lower its gaming age limit to 19 at their
Hessel, Manistique, Christmas and St. Ignace locations. According to
the tribal gaming compact between the Sault Tribe and the state of
Michigan, the Tribe is allowed to lower its gaming age limit as low
as 18 at any time.
October 2,
2006
The Nottawaseppi
Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians (“Tribe”) and the Citizens Exposing
Truth About Casinos (CETAC), which has challenged the opening of the
Tribe’s casino, announced a settlement agreement related to the
environmental impacts of the proposed casino. This agreement could
allow construction to begin on the Tribe’s FireKeepers Casino
located near Battle Creek, Mich. The project has been on hold for
years due to on going regulatory requirements and litigations.
September 19,
2006
The Traverse City
Record Eagle reported that the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and
Chippewa Indians plans to build a new $80 million casino and resort
complex at the site of its Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg,
Mich. Tribal officials told the Traverse City Record Eagle they will
break ground on the new 347,000-square foot resort and casino in
October 2006. Ron Olson, chief executive officer of Grand Traverse
Resort & Casinos said the development will be “unique to the Midwest
in its design and business model.”
August 3,
2006
In mid July, Wayland
City Council members voted 6-1 to file an amicus brief in support of
the Gun Lake Band of Potawatami Indian Tribe in a pending lawsuit
concerning the Tribe’s Land in Trust Application.
June 23,
2006
The Pokagon Gaming
Authority, a wholly owned, unincorporated instrumentality of the
Pokagon Band of Potowatomi Indians, announced it had successfully
closed its financing of $305 million in Senior Notes due 2014. The
proceeds from the notes will be used to partially finance the
construction of Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich.
May 19, 2006
The Pokagon Band of
Potawatomi Indians announced it will break ground June 3 on the $160
million Four Winds Casino Resort near Interstate 94 and Michigan 239
in New Buffalo Township, Mich. The first phase of the development,
which includes a 124,000-square-foot casino, is scheduled to be
completed within 10 to 14 months.
April 4, 2006
The Pokagon Band of
Potawatomi Indians (“Pokagaon Band”) announced that it received
governmental approval of a management agreement with Lakes
Entertainment, LLC (“Lakes Entertainment”) to develop and operate
Four Winds Casino Resort.
January 27, 2006
Land for the Pokagon
Band of Potawatomi Indians' Four Winds Casino Resort was officially
taken into trust by the U.S. Department of Interior, allowing
construction of the casino to proceed at its New Buffalo, Michigan,
site.
January 6, 2006
The U.S. Court of
Appeals' decision in Taxpayers of Michigan Against Casinos ("TOMAC")
v Norton (Dept. of Interior), et al., issued on January 6, 2006,
supported the District Court's ruling that, as a restored tribe, the
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians was eligible to have lands put in
trust for a casino, to be built and operated by them under the
federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and that environmental impact
studies completed for the project were sufficient. TOMAC sought to
prevent construction of a casino in New Buffalo Township, Michigan.
The Pokagons are working with the Dept. of Interior to have the
casino land placed in trust for their proposed $160 million project.
Construction is expected to take about 18 months for the
144,000-square-foot casino with 3,000 slot machines and 100 plus
table games.
