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A controversial plan to build a casino in downtown Lansing cleared an important hurdle last night.

The Lansing city council gave its approval for the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ plan to build a casino next to the city’s convention center.

Council members who voted for the casino cited the jobs it will create and a college scholarship program for Lansing children it will fund.

Bill Martines is the head of Lansing Future LLC, the development group spearheading the casino project. He laughed when asked if this was the 'easy part' of getting the casino built.

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'No this wasn’t the easy part…not by any stretch…I don’t anticipate any of the parts to be easy,' says Martines

The project still needs federal approval. The Sault Ste Marie Tribe is expected to formally submit its application to the federal government this summer. Since the casino would not be built on tribal land, the federal government must agree to take the land into trust. There are differing opinions as to whether federal law would permit the tribe to open a casino on the property in downtown Lansing.

The casino also faces probable lawsuits from other Native American tribes that operate casinos within easy driving distance of Lansing and the state of Michigan.

Several community forums and a public hearing drew dozens of people for and against the casino project. Supporters say a casino will bring jobs and tourism to Lansing. Opponents say a casino will bring crime and other social problems.

The Kewadin Casinos are a set of casinos located in the US state of Michigan. The casinos are owned by the federally recognized Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The primary property is located in Sault Ste. Marie, with additional locations on tribal lands in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique, and St. Ignace.^[1][2][3][4]

History[edit]

In the 1980s, Native American activists carved out new areas of sovereignty. With federal law, they could establish gaming casinos on sovereign tribal land, in states that allowed gambling. The states and tribes generally agreed to compacts for some revenue sharing. In some cases, early facilities featured little more than bingo halls. In 1984, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors voted to open Kewadin Casinos.^[1][3]

Initial casinos in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan[edit]

Kewadin Casinos opened its Sault Ste. Marie property in November 1985, originally as a one-room blackjack house.^[3][4]

In 1987, Kewadin Casinos opened Kewadin Shores Casino–St. Ignace.^[4]

In 1994, Kewadin Casinos opened casinos in Christmas, Kewadin Casino–Hessel, and Manistique.^[4]

Greektown Casino Hotel[edit]

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Until 2008, the Tribe owned a majority interest in Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit, which opened in 2000. It was one of three casinos authorized by the legislature in 1996 for operation in Detroit as a means for the city to generate revenues. This casino did not operate under the Kewadin name.^[5] Due to financial problems related to the 2008 Great Recession, the tribe filed for bankruptcy protection for the Greektown casino. In 2010 it sold its interest and has since focused on developing properties in Upper Michigan.

Lansing Kewadin Casino[edit]

On January 19, 2012, Kewadin Casinos and Mayor of Lansing, Virgil Bernero, announced plans for a $245 million casino to be built in Downtown Lansing's entertainment district.^{[2][6][7][8][9]} Plans called for the opening of a temporary casino until a 125,000 square feet (11,600 m²) facility was completed on land owned by the City of Lansing. It was to be purchased by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.^[5][6] The proposed urban modern-themed casino would be located at Michigan Avenue and Cedar Street, adjacent to the Lansing Center, on land the tribe would purchase from the city and have taken into trust on its behalf by the Department of Interior. The casino would include up to 3,000 slot machines, 48 table games, bars, and restaurants.^[5][6]

The plan was approved by the Lansing City Council on March 19, 2012,^[10] and the Tribe in May 2012.^[11]

The Lansing casino was opposed by the Michigan Attorney General, who filed a lawsuit in September 2012 to block the project. He argues that the casino violated federal law and a gaming compact between the Sault Chippewa and the state of Michigan.^[12] A federal judge issued an injunction on the project in April 2013 in response to the suit.^[13]

This was lifted in December 2013 by a federal appeals court, which ruled that the lower court did not have jurisdiction and should not have issued the injunction.^[14]

In May 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the State of Michigan in a related case regarding an off-reservation casino opened by the Bay Mills Indian Community. It said that tribes had sovereign immunity from state regulation. As a result, the Michigan Attorney General dropped his appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the injunction on the Lansing casino project.^[15]

The original lawsuit remained in a federal court, under charges by the Attorney General that tribal officials had violated the conditions of a Michigan gaming compact with the tribes.^[15] In June 2014, the tribe requested that the United States Department of the Interior take the land into trust that they had purchased for the Lansing casino. Approval by the United States Secretary of the Interior of such action is required by the 1997 Michigan Land Claims Settlement Act.^[8] As of September 2015, the application is pending.^[16]

On September 16, 2015, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled that the tribe did not violate any laws by submitting this application to the Department of Interior.^[16] In December 2017, however, the Department of Interior rejected the application to take this property into trust, halting the casino project. It contended that under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, it could not take into trust land that tribes acquired after the act with later federal recognition.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport casino[edit]

In June 2014, the tribe indicated it was considering a casino on a 71-acre (29 ha) property to be acquired near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.^[8]

Properties[edit]

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Current properties[edit]

As of 2019, Kewadin Casinos includes these properties:

Proposed properties[edit]

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Kewadin Casinos has official proposed these properties:

Past properties[edit]

Kewadin Casinos was previously involved with these properties:

Marketing[edit]

The casinos use a loyalty program for customers, known as the Northern Rewards Club.^[17]

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See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abc'About Us'. Kewadin Casinos. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
2. ^ ^abcd'Kewadin Casinos'. Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
3. ^ ^abcde'Happy Birthday, 20-year-old!'. SooToday.com. October 31, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
4. ^ ^abcdefghiMikus, Matt (December 30, 2010). 'Casino Spurs Growth Era for Tribe'. St. Ignace News. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
5. ^ ^abcde'Sault Ste. Marie Tribe Plans Lansing Casino; 1,500 jobs, $250 Million a Year in Revenue predicted'. Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
6. ^ ^abcdKewadin Casinos. 'About Lansing Kewadin Casino'. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
7. ^ ^abCarmody, Steve. 'Lansing Residents Will Hear More Tonight About the Proposed Casino Project'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
8. ^ ^abcdCarmody, Steve. 'Lansing Casino Project Moves Ahead'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
9. ^ ^ab'Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe Announce Plans for $245 Million Casino in Downtown Lansing'. MLive. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
10. ^Carmody, Steve. 'Lansing City Council Gives OK to Controversial Casino Project'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
11. ^Carmody, Steve. 'Tribe Votes in Favor of Lansing Casino Project'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
12. ^Carmody, Steve. 'Michigan's Attorney General Files Suit to Block Proposed Lansing Casino'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
13. ^Carmody, Steve. 'Tribe Appeals Injunction Blocking Lansing Casino Project'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
14. ^Carmody, Steve. 'Federal Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Lansing Casino Project'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
15. ^ ^abCarmody, Steve. 'Attorney General Shifts Tactics in Lansing Casino Case'. Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
16. ^ ^abAlusheff, Alexander (September 16, 2015). 'Federal Judge Throws Out State's Case Against Lansing Casino'. Lansing State Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
17. ^'Our Club'. Kewadin Casinos. Retrieved March 20, 2016.

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External links[edit]

• Official website
• Media related to Kewadin Casinos at Wikimedia Commons