Legal experts say bringing a tribal casino to Lansing faces huge hurdles
Building a tribal casino in Lansing might be harder than you think — in fact, its almost impossible to bring a tribal casino to the city, legal experts say.
“I don’t see any possibility of a tribal casino being allowed to be constructed in the city of Lansing,” said Robert Stocker II, chairman of the gaming practice group at Dickinson Wright law firm in Lansing. The group deals with both Indian and commercial gaming issues and MGM Grand is listed on the firm’s client list on its website.
Stocker’s remarks should be taken in the context of the highly competitive nature of the $10 billion-a-year casino industry in Michigan, since his firm’s website says it represents Detroit’s MGM Grand Casino. Still his remarks are consistent with those of other experts who don’t have clear ties to other casinos.
Two weeks ago, Ted O’Dell of the Lansing Jobs Coalition, which led a petition drive seeking a referendum on whether voters want a casino, told City Pulse that the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribe was in negotiations with city officials to build a tribal casino in the city. The proposal would create 1,500 new jobs and 300 construction jobs, O’Dell said. The Lansing Jobs Coalition has been researching building a casino since January as a way to bring jobs to Lansing.
The Bernero administration has neither confirmed nor denied that such negotiations are under way, but Mayor Virg Bernero issued a statement strongly endorsing the idea of a casino in Lansing because of the “tremendous” economic benefit... (Complete Story)
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