Compact Amendments to Increase Number of Casinos

Amendments to the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' gaming compact will give the state an immediate $15 million and give the tribe the right to open satellite casinos in Hartford and Dowagiac.
The amended compact resolves issues between the state of Michigan and the tribe that led to the Pokagon Band's withholding revenue sharing payments to the state for most of the 14 months its Four Winds Casino Resort near New Buffalo has been open for business.

The Band contended the state's Club Keno game eliminated the tribe's exclusive rights to operate electronic games of chance. The exclusivity provision was eliminated in the amended compact.

The amendments were signed by Tribal Chairman John Miller and Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Although the state legislature must ratify compacts, it does not ratify amendments. Those changes are approved at the federal level.

Similar disputes between the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians were resolved earlier this year.

"These changes to the compact are a victory for the state, the tribe and the communities of Southwest Michigan," Granholm said in a prepared announcement.

"The agreement provides a steady stream of revenue to further Michigan's economic development efforts. It also provides economic development opportunities for the tribe and local communities, while establishing a more stable and cooperative relationship between the state and the tribe."

For the complete story, please see Lynn Stevens, Compact amendments give Pokagon Band satellites, Western Michigan Business Review, October 23, 2008.