Malik and Vigliotti had formed MV Property Holdings LLC hoping to sell land to MGM Grand Detroit

Attorney William D. Serwer filed corporate documents in February 2002 establishing a Michigan limited liability company known as MV Property Holdings, LLC. Documents filed with the U.S. Attorney indicate that entity was a venture between Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr. (aka Mike Malik, Michael Malik) and Ralph Vigliotti Realty, Inc. (R. Thomas Vigliotti).

Apparently Malik & Vigliotti had secured land in downtown Detroit that they were hoping to flip and sell to Las Vegas-based gaming giant MGM for future development of the MGM Grand Detroit.

Serwer signed documents disolving MV Property Holdings, LLC on 12.30.02.

MGM Grand Casino In Detroit Thrives While Others Falter

8.14.08

The city of Detroit is not any different than others in the United Stats. Whether or not their Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, they still are dealing with tough economic times.

Their casinos are following a trend throughout the country of revenue loss. While two of their casinos had revenue figures decrease from July of 2007, MGM Grand Detroit saved the day by posting a revenue increase.

MotorCity Casino had a decrease of 7.26 percent from last year in July. Their revenue of $39.6 million was down from $42.7 million last year.

Greektown Casino experienced a much more drastic drop in revenue. Their $25.4 million dropped off 13.2 percent from July of 2007. The two casinos are following the national norm for casinos.

MGM did not have such problems. They took in $50.5 million in revenue, an increase of a whopping 22.25 percent. That increase is unusual at a time where the economy is hurting almost every casino in the country.

Fuel prices have been cited at many of these casinos as the reason for revenue decreases. People have also been losing their jobs which is resulting in less gamblers having the money to frequent these casinos.

Ilitch partner found guilty on firearms charge in Arizona

8.08.08

According to a report by an Arizona newspaper, Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr., has been found guilty in Arizona court on one count of unlawfully discharging a firearm and will be sentenced for the violation on August 15.

The charges against Malik stem from a 2007 elk hunt in which it was alleged that Malik had strayed onto private property and was shooting his firearm within close proximity of other people's homes.

Michael Malik is an associate and partner of Marian Ilitch and other members of the Detroit-based Ilitch family. Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of such household name brands as Little Caesars Pizza, the Detroit Tigers baseball team, Detroit Red Wings NHL franchise and Detroit's MotorCity Casino.

Among other things, Mike Malik is the owner of the 1,000 acre Paradice Hunt Club in Davison, Michigan.

• Michigan man found guilty on charge stemming from elk hunt
• Porter Mountain residents angry over recent elk hunt
• Michigan Hunter found guilty in Pinetop - Arizona Hunting Today Forum

MotorCity Casino revenues drop again; down for 12-months despite new facilities

8.13.08

...Revenues show strain
The economy's strain on Detroit's casinos is evident in the latest revenue numbers:

• For MotorCity, year-to-date revenues are down 1.6 percent through July, and 7.26 percent last month alone compared to a year ago. The dips are particularly noteworthy because the casino last year didn't have its larger, renovated gaming hall and new hotel to attract gamblers.

MotorCity officials said they don't comment on specific revenue numbers, but spokeswoman Jennifer Kulczycki said that the end of construction and renovation on the property later this year will have a positive impact on the casino's bottom line.

"We're wrapping up construction right now," she said. "We're excited to show Detroit a completely brand new MotorCity Casino. We think it will leave a very good impression on our guests." (Complete Story)

Campaign finance disclosures suggest controversial casino syndicator employed by Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

A review of records on file with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) indicate that Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr. reports he was employed by Ilitch Holdings, Inc. despite repeated attempts by spokespersons to create the impression of an arms length distance between the often controversial Malik and the parent company of such household brands as Little Caesars Pizza, the Detroit Tigers baseball team and the Detroit Red Wings hockey franchise.

During the 2004 campaign season, official political finance reports were filed with the FEC indicating that Malik made contributions totaling $24,100 to sixteen different political committees; each reporting his employer as Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company controlled by members of the Ilitch Family. Patriarch Mike Ilitch is the chair of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. and his wife Marian Ilitch is reported as vice chair.

As the owner of MLB’s Detroit franchise, Mike Ilitch is prohibited from sharing any interest in gaming related ventures. But Marian Ilitch is sole owner of Detroit’s MotorCity Casino.

Marian Ilitch and Malik were original partners in MotorCity Casino; however, the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) wouldn’t grant Malik a gaming license and he was forced to divest his interests before the gambling hall could open its doors. Since then, Malik’s various business affiliates have headquartered out of the executive offices at Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

Suit alledges Ilitch partner involved in $2 million fraudulent money transfer

Michael I. Goldberg, a Ft. Lauderdale-based attorney at Akerman Senterfitt, is the court appointed receiver for entities known as Worldwide Entertainment Group.

As Receiver, Goldberg brought charges forward on 6.09.08 in Federal District Court (Goldberg v. Malik) alledging that Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr. was involved in a $2.1 million fraudulent money transfer -- so-called "profit payments" -- that were funded through a classic Ponzi scheme.

The Receiver's complaint seeks Malik's return of the "profit payments" plus interest and other costs. It is one of numerous subsequent complaints stemming from an earlier Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation.

(Complaint: Fraudulent Money Transfers)

In April 2006, the SEC announced it had filed a civil injunctive action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida charging Worldwide Entertainment, Inc. and Entertainment Group Fund, Inc. and their principal John P. (Jack) Utsick, and American Enterprises, Inc. and Entertainment Funds, Inc. and their principals Robert Yeager and Donna Yeager, in connection with a fraudulent offering that raised over $300 million from over 3,300 investors nationwide.

Malik was one of the original backers of Detroit's MotorCity Casino but couldn't get licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) so it was reported that he sold his shares to Mrs. Marian Ilitch in 1999 before the casino could open its doors.

Since then, Malik's numerous business affiliates have been based out of the executive office suite at Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Malik and Marian Ilitch have pursued other projects together including casinos in Hawaii, California, Michigan and New York.

The Detroit-based Ilitch family (Mike Ilitch, his wife Marian and their children) controls a privately held sports, entertainment and dining empire including the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Pizza and MotorCity Casino.

The Ilitch family also owns or manages some of Detroit's largest sports and concert venues including Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park, the historic Fox Theater, the Masonic Temple Theater and Cobo Arena.

Michael Malik is suddenly entangled with the Akerman Senterfitt law firm

Michael I. Goldberg, a partner in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL, offices of the Akerman Senterfitt law firm, filed a federal Securities/Commodities/Exchanges suit in District Court (Broward County, FL) on 6.09.08 against Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr. Goldberg's practice includes bankruptcy and ceditors' rights as well as securities receiverships.

Goldberg is the Court Appointed Receiver in the matter of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Utsick et al -- a $300 fraud case described as a ponzi scheme. And Goldberg v. Malik is one of the cases in which Receiver Goldberg seeks to recover money owed the Receivership Entities.

As it turns out, several Malik affiliates are clients of Akerman Senterfitt:

In June 2008, the Washington, D.C. office of Akerman Senterfitt registered as lobbyists for the Bay Mills Indian Community (a tribe Michael Malik has partnered with on casinos and other business ventures). The lobbyist is Joe Findaro.

On 7.12.08, Akerman Senterfitt filed an amended lobbying registration indicating that Blue Water Resorts, LLC, a Malik affiliate, was paying the Bay Mills tribe's lobbying bills.

Akerman Senterfitt has represented another of Malik's casino venture partners since July 2007, the Shinnecock Indian Nation. And on 7.21.08, Akerman Senterfitt filed an amended lobbying registration for this client as well; indicating Gateway Casino Resorts, LLC, another of Malik's affiliates, is paying this tribe's lobbying bills.

Michael Malik facing federal lawsuit in Florida involving Securities/Commodities/ Exchanges

Goldberg v. Malik

Plaintiff: Michael I. Goldberg
Defendant: Michael J. Malik, Sr.

Case Number: 0:2008cv60870
Filed: June 9, 2008

Court: Florida Southern District Court
Office: Fort Lauderdale Office [ Court Info ]
County: Broward
Presiding Judge: Judge William P. Dimitrouleas
Presiding Judge: Judge Paul C. Huck
Referring Judge: Magistrate Judge Robin S. Rosenbaum

Nature of Suit: Other Statutes - Securities/Commodities/Exchanges
Cause: 28:0754 Receiver of Property in Different Districts
Jurisdiction: Federal Question
Jury Demanded By: None

NOTE: Goldberg is a "shareholder" (partner) in the Ft. Lauderdale office of the Akerman Senterfitt law firm. His practice includes bankruptcy and creditors' rights.

MotorCity Casino realizes 1.57 percent after betting on $300M expansion

According to a review of monthly casino revenues published by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), average monthly gaming revenue at MotorCity Casino for the 12 months prior to the June 2007 opening of MCC's expanded gaming floor were $39,641,650.62.

In the 12 months since MotorCity opened its bigger gaming floor -- and then opening its new hotel -- average monthly revenues for Marian Ilitch's casino have been $40,264,844.87.

Increasing the gaming floor by 25% -- and adding a 400-room hotel to the property -- MotorCity Casino Hotel has realized a 1.57% increase in its monthly gaming revenues.

Can that be what investors expected?

It's been reported that Marian Ilitch borrowed $1 billion or more in order to acquire MotorCity Casino from MGM Mirage and then complete the expansion of the gaming floor, add the hotel, and cover the costs of debt service during the construction.

When the MotorCity Casino construction project started it was announced the project would cost $275 millon and would be completed by the end of 2007. The expansion project is still not complete and the Detroit Free Press has published construction costs at $300 million -- almost 10% higher.

During the last two years Moody's and Standard & Poor's have both downgraded credit ratings for CCM Merger, Inc., MotorCity Casino's parent company, because the casino's debt ratios had grown higher than originally anticipated during the construction period.

Ilitch casino partner committed perjury failing to report political contributions

The casino partner of Detroit businesswoman Marian Ilitch filed fraudulent political campaign finance disclosures in California and failed to report numerous political contributions totaling more than $20,000.

In January 2007, Michael J. Malik, Sr., (Mike Malik) filed a campaign finance disclosure statement with California's Secretary of State as required of all "Major Donors" under state law. Malik represents in that statement, signed under penalty of perjury, that he made no political contributions in California during the second half of 2006. TVT has learned that's simply not true.

A review of other information on file with the Secretary of State reveals various political committees in California actually received more than $20,000 directly from Malik between 7.01.06 and 12.31.06.

Malik failed to disclose those contributions as required of "Major Donors" at various times during the 2006 election season. And then, as referenced above, Malik submitted a semi-annual "Major Donor" statement on 1.30.07 representing he had made no political contributions during the second half of 2006.

It would appear Malik committed perjury and possibly fraud in knowingly filing the false disclosure statement on 1.30.07.

Ilitch is the owner of Detroit's MotorCity Casino and co-owner 0f the Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza. Her husband Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers. Marian Ilitch is vice chair of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. For more than a decade, she and Malik have partnered on various casino projects in California, Hawaii, Michigan and New York. While spokespersons indicate Malik is not an employee of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., or any of its affiliates, his business offices are located within the executive suite of offices at Ilitch Holdings.

California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is reportedly investigating circumstances surrounding political contributions and lobbying payments made by Malik and other Ilitch/Malik affiliates. BarWest, LLC, an Ilitch/Malik casino affiliate, was fined in 2006 on two counts of violating California election law when they failed to report a $26,600 contribution made in 2004.

Michael Malik and lobbyists for various Ilitch/Malik casino related affiliates find themselves at the center of various well-publicized political scandals and investigations involving Rep. Don Young (R-AK), former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) and others.

You may want to review these related posts:

• Political contributions made by Michael Malik link him to Sacramento-based lobbying firm Governmental Advocates, Inc.
• Michael Malik failed to report a $5000 contribution to the California Democratic Party
• Port Huron casino promoter fined for breaking California's political reform laws; denied a casino license in Michigan
• BarWest drops California Lobbyist Keith Olberg
• It appears the Big Lagoon Rancheria failed to file lobbying disclosures for 2nd Quarter 2007

Malik's legal appeal for right to develop houses and a marina on Harsens Island moves forward

7.30.08

Harsens Island development appeal heading for final pretrial

By Nicole Tuttle
Voice Reporter

The appeals process for two development companies looking to build a housing project on Harsens Island will take another step forward.

St. Clair County Circuit Judge Daniel J. Kelley ruled last week that the final pretrial hearing for Grand Pointe Development LLC and Lucky 7 Development LLC will be Aug. 25.

The date was set after Kelly heard the pretrial for the case July 21 in chambers. The case originally had been scheduled for Circuit Judge Peter Deegan's courtroom, but was moved after a conflict of interest surfaced when attorneys involved learned that Deegan's court reporter, Kathy Schweikart, is a member of the Clay Township Planning Commission.

The case is in court because the developers are appealing the planning commission's decision to reject a request for a special land use. The developers planned to create a 348-unit cluster housing development on the former Boys' Club property on the North Channel. The developers appealed the decision to the circuit court March 19.

Clay Township John McNamee said the judge will want to review documents, such as possibly the minutes of the planning commission meeting and what the commission considered before rendering a decision.

He said that he and Gary Fletcher, attorney for Grande Pointe Development LLC and Lucky 7 Development LLC in the case, will need to determine which documents relating to the planning commission decision can be submitted to the judge for review.

"The court wants us to reach an agreement as to what is the appropriate record for review," McNamee said.

Once this process is complete, the judge will set a schedule for attorneys to submit briefs, Fletcher said.

In addition to the appeal, developers applied to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Land and Water Management Division in 2007 for dredging and a marina operating permit. The project would impact 16.6 total acres of wetland with excavation and fill activities. Existing roadways would also be impacted. The DEQ will make a decision on the permit on Aug. 28.

Click here to return to story: http://www.voicenews.com/stories/073008/loc_20080730009.shtml

NOTE: Grande Pointe Development LLC and Lucky 7 Development LLC are entities controlled by Detroit-casino syndicator and developer Michael J. Malik, Sr. Mike Malik shares an office at the headquarters of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. and has partnered with Mrs. Marian Ilitch on various casino ventures.

Developer still in pursuit of Harsens Island Bridge despite set backs

7.30.08

Harsens Island bridge stalled in negotiations

By Nicole Tuttle
Voice Reporter

Developers of the Harsens Island bridge [aka Harsens Island Crossing] are currently negotiating roadblocks to their progress with the Department of Environmental Quality.

The bridge, which would link the Algonac mainland to Harsens Island over the North Channel, is the project of the Detroit International Bridge Company. The private company seeks to build the bridge as a commercial venture.

The Harsens Island Transportation Authority met with the bridge developers July 15 at the Harsens Island Lions Hall. Don Verslyte, a member of the HITA who led the meeting, said that Bridge Company President Dan Stamper told HITA they were working to overcoming the objections that caused the DEQ to deny them a permit to build the bridge. The DEQ denied the permit last year.

One objection was the question of riparian rights. The bridge plans interfered with some privately owned property. Verslyte said Stamper told the HITA they had overcome this by purchasing a marina.

Another objection related to interference with the spawning ground of sturgeon. Verslyte said Stamper told the HITA there was no spawning ground where the bridge would cross.

"They resolved that by taking pictures of the bottom," Verslyte said.

Verslyte said Stamper told the HITA the company would be willing to provide funds to help build a spawning ground on Dickinson Island.

The third objection related to interference with wetlands on the island side of the bridge. Verslyte said Stamper told HITA the issue was still under discussion with the DEQ, but the company anticipates resubmitting for a permit with the U.S. Coast Guard within 45 days.

Stamper did not return messages by Voice deadline.

Robert McCann, a spokesman for the DEQ, said the company has not actively pursued an appeal of the denial. "They have the option to appeal or start over with new plans," he said.

Discussions of the issues, particularly the sturgeon and wetlands issues, are still under discussion with the DEQ and the Department of Natural Resources, McCann said.

"We have been discussing the issue with them," he said. "We have heard both for and against from the public."

The DNR is still in discussions with the developer regarding the sturgeon issue, said Mary Dettloff, a DNR public information officer. She said that the DNR has caught sturgeon in the area.

"There would be a loss of aquatic habitat if the bridge is built," Dettloff said.

Dettloff said the DNR has worked with other developers in the past to create "mitigation for loss of habitat" and that would be part of the permit process.

One area that the HITA is concerned with is working out an agreement with the company to control toll rates, Verslyte said.

"That is a problem we have now with the ferry system," Verslyte said.


Click here to return to story: http://www.voicenews.com/stories/073008/loc_20080730007.shtml

U.S. Sen Stevens indicted; Rep. Young still under investigation on related matters

TALKINGPOINTSMEMO
7.29.08

TED STEVENS INDICTED ON 7 CRIMINAL COUNTS

Ted Stevens, the senior senate Republican from Alaska, has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements for failing to disclose on his Senate financial disclosure forms hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts he received in Alaska over seven years. He will not be arrested but will be allowed to turn himself in.

The FBI investigation leading to the indictment began almost two years ago when the FBI raided Steven's son, Alaskan State Sen. Ben Stevens, and others. At the center of the investigation were executives from VECO who have plead guilty to bribing at least four legislators includin the younger Stevens. Ted Stevens' Road To Ruin

Wall Street Journal reporters Evan Perez and Jim Carlton write that the investigation has upended Alaska state politics, casting scrutiny on Sen. Stevens -- who is running for re-election this year -- and on his congressional colleague, Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who is also under investigation.

Michigan tribe was first to own a casino in the U.S.; backers seeking third casino

According to the tribe's official Web site, on July 4, 1984, the Bay Mills Indian Community opened the first tribally owned casino in the United States.

Today the Bay Mills Indian Community operates two casinos on its Reservation near Brimley, Michigan: the Bay Mills Casino and Kings Club Casino.

Detroit casino syndicators Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch have been trying, unsuccessfuly, to site a third casino for the Bay Mills Indian Community in the greater Detroit area, several hundred miles off the Reservation, since the mid-1990s.

Ilitch / Shinnecock Indian Nation casino update

7.27.08

Development
Inching Ahead on a Tribal Casino Agreement

By BRUCE LAMBERT
SOUTHAMPTON

CARRYING on a tradition of nearly four centuries of rocky relations, whites and native Indians here have been feuding in and out of court for the last few years over a proposed casino and a compensation claim for land the tribe says was stolen.

Now a glimmer of compromise has enticed leaders from both sides into talks that could result in Long Island’s first casino.

Some Suffolk County legislators have met with Shinnecock tribal trustees about finding an alternate site for a casino away from Indian lands in the Hamptons, where it has been proposed and which officials adamantly oppose.

Many hurdles remain, especially finding an acceptable location. But if that can be accomplished, Shinnecock leaders say they are eager to also resolve their land lawsuit.

“A global settlement would be very welcome,” Frederick C. Bess, chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation trustees, said in an interview. “We want to sit down and negotiate something amicable to all of us, a win-win. We’re always trying to be good neighbors. We have to live together on Long Island.”

The overtures have included a pro-casino presentation by tribal members to a county legislative committee and a tour of the reservation in late June by the Legislature’s presiding officer, William J. Lindsay, and its economic development chairman, Wayne R. Horsley, both Democrats.

“I’ve always been a proponent of gaming,” Mr. Lindsay said in an interview. “A facility on the East End is not the smartest thing, because the roads and infrastructure couldn’t support it and the communities are opposed. But Suffolk is a big place, with lots of arteries like the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway and places where it might go, including downtowns that need revitalization.”

What sparked the new talks was progress in the Indians’ decades-long attempt to win federal recognition. They now predict winning recognition in a year or two.

That official status, along with state approvals that the tribe would seek, could legally entitle the Shinnecock to a casino on their reservation — or a site purchased elsewhere.

Anticipating that likelihood, officials like Mr. Lindsay say they want to work with the tribe to find the best location.

Proponents say a casino would generate thousands of jobs, tax revenue and an economic ripple totaling billions of dollars. Critics doubt whether any community would welcome a casino and dispute its local benefits.

The talks stem from two federal court cases involving a 2003 Shinnecock attempt to build a casino here and the tribe’s 2005 land claim. The Shinnecock lost the first legal rounds but appealed. Both cases are pending.

The tribe says it deserves compensation for its former territories and desperately needs a casino for self-sufficiency.

Many families on the reservation struggle financially. Their plight is underscored by the surrounding opulence of the modern Hamptons, with waterfront estates and summering celebrities and tycoons — on former Indian land. Some garages of the rich are bigger than the homes on the reservation.

The Shinnecock trace their roots back 10,000 years. They welcomed the first English arrivals here in 1640, but relations soured, and the Shinnecock were forced to sell land. Historians say dubious deals manipulated the tribe out of most of its territory.

“Everything was stacked against the Indians from the beginning,” said John A. Strong, a retired history professor at Long Island University.

Eventually the Indian presence here shrank to an 800-acre peninsula in Shinnecock Bay, the reservation where nearly half the 1,300 current members live.

“On one side of the street you have basic homes, and on the other side you have multimillion-dollar mansions,” Mr. Bess said.

While some Shinnecock have prospered as doctors or lawyers, many are unemployed or subsist on meager incomes.

“They really need jobs,” said John Robert Zellner, former cochairman of the Southampton Town anti-bias task force. “Some people are still living in houses with dirt floors and leaky roofs. There’s a lot of poverty.”

A few Indians profit by claiming a tribal exemption to sell untaxed cigarettes at small tobacco shops along Montauk Highway. State officials have threatened to crack down, and a grocery chain has sued to stop tax-free sales.

The tribe explored various ventures that never materialized: windmills, cellphone towers and a waste depot. They opened a shellfish hatchery that was wiped out by the brown tide and is now back in operation.

Inspired by lucrative Indian casinos around the country, the Shinnecock finally pushed to pursue one with a powerful ally: Gateway Casino Resorts in Detroit, whose principals include Marian Ilitch, owner of the MotorCity Casino. Her family’s enterprises include Little Caesars Pizza and the Detroit Tigers.

Southampton officials recoiled in 2003 when the Shinnecock cleared some trees and had a casino groundbreaking at Westwoods, a 79-acre Indian property west of the reservation. The town spent $3 million fighting in United States District Court to block the project, saying it would be disastrous for traffic, the environment and development.

Upping the ante in 2005, the tribe went to federal court seeking compensation from the state and others for nearly 3,000 acres taken in 1859. The land now includes Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the National Golf Links of America and the Shinnecock Hills community.

Eventually one judge rejected the land claim, and another ruled that Westwoods was not part of the original reservation and thus the tribe had no immunity from local zoning laws. The tribe appealed both rulings, and the suits are awaiting appellate decisions on upstate Oneida Indian cases.

One consolation in the disputes was Judge Thomas C. Platt’s finding that the Shinnecock are a valid tribe, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not take that as binding. But in May the federal government said it might expedite its decision on tribal status.

In the search for an alternate casino location, the Suffolk legislators have declined to specify potential sites. Southampton’s new town supervisor, Linda A. Kabot, remains opposed to a casino here but suggested two possibilities, Calverton or Yaphank. If the casino were in the town, she said it should be in the west, around Gabreski Airport.

Several people in the dispute have described the Westwoods groundbreaking and the land claim as leverage to get a casino elsewhere. The tribe’s chairman, Mr. Bess, said: “We would negotiate for a better site somewhere else on Long Island — the closer to New York City the better. That’s where the population is.”

One Hamptons casino opponent, Marion Boden, former president of a local civic group, said that she sympathized with the search for another site and sensed that the backlash has moderated. “A collaborative effort would be a dream,” she said.

But “not-in-my-backyard” resistance will be a formidable obstacle, said Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., a Republican whose district includes the reservation. “If we’re not the Nimby capital of the world, we’re in the top five,” he said.

Also voicing doubts, County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat, said, “It would be a hard sell for me to say a casino is the best way to go.” He disputed whether casinos benefit communities.

Mr. Bess is firm about the benefits to the tribe. “We just have to survive,” he said. “We’re fighting to preserve our culture.”