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Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Gun Lake Tribe Agreed on a Gaming Compact

Last March 9th, 2007, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced that she and Gun Lake Tribe have reached a gaming compact that will permit a Las Vegas style casino in the Wayland Township. The proposed casino, which will contain Class III gaming devices and the gaming compact that where drafted together with the Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi Indians needs the permission of the legislature of Michigan.

The Gun Lake Indian Tribe plans to build the casino on 147 acres of land at the U.S. 131. Granholm also said that the Gun Lake Tribe has also settled the legal issue against them by winning the case and the placement of the land in Michigan into federal trust so she does not see anything wrong in forming a gaming compact with the tribe.

The proposed compact between Michigan and the tribe has shed light to other issues regarding the different states and the tribal groups.

Some of the glaring changes are that the gambling will only be allowed for people age 21 and up but other gaming compacts allow 18 year olds to gamble. The state will get around 8% percent of the total profit of the casino from the electronic machines and from the first $450 million dollars, 10% percent around $150 million dollars and about $300 million dollars and about 12% percent for earnings around $300 million dollars and up.

The gaming compact also excludes some modifications from the state lottery on the reason that the tribe could later on cease giving money to the state. Other Indian tribes said that the state's casino games will set aside exclusivity clauses in their own gaming compacts and cease the state profit sharing scheme.

The letter of Gov. Granholm to House Speaker Andy Dillon that the placement under federal trust of the land that is located in Wayland is a done matter and a gaming compact will only strengthen the commitment between Gun Lake and Michigan.

28 August 2007