PLAYING THE BLAME GAME ON MISPLACED LAND CASINO

(493) (21-September-2006)

$36 million Casino and Hotel built in the wrong place!

An article carried in a Detroit News report this week reveals the incredible case of a casino being built where it shouldn't be.

"Gambling is the only thing missing from a new Indian casino in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, mistakenly built in an area where gambling is illegal," the report claims. "The $36 million Kewadin Shores Casino and Hotel opened in June and has restaurants, a lounge and an indoor pool, overlooking Lake Huron's Horseshoe Bay north of the Mackinac Bridge.

"But its 29 000-square-foot casino with 800 slot machines and 26 gambling tables stands silent and has been unable to operate because the U.S. government says part of the casino was built on land where Indian gambling is not allowed."

Playing the blame game, members of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians are debating who was responsible for the mistake, with the tribe's current and former chairmen blaming each other, The Detroit News claims.

The tribe now is quickly building a $2.5 million replacement casino at the site in Mackinac County's Forest Township, north of St. Ignace. It can probably afford to do so; there are 17 Indian casinos in northern Michigan, and two are due to open in the next two years in southern Michigan. The state's Indian casinos took in $983 million in 2005.

"It wasn't until after we had the pilings and foundation in place that we realized that something wasn't right," current Chairman Aaron Payment said. "We did another survey and found that all but 30 feet of the casino was on ineligible land."