FireKeepers Casino Hopes for Success

A little more than a year ago, drivers passing Exit 104 on Interstate 94 gazed onto corn fields that had been there for generations.

But recently, the electric glow of the mega-sign marking the location of the new FireKeepers Casino was deemed too bright for passing motorists, so it was dimmed.

The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi hopes the future of the state's newest gambling facility will be just as bright.

Scheduled to open early next month, FireKeepers Casino is a $300 million gamble for a small tribe during a big recession that has brought larger, more experienced gaming operations to their knees.

"We're just happy we're opening," said Laura Spurr, chairwoman of the 1,000-member tribe, which spent 10 years battling legal blockades to open FireKeepers.

"We think we're at the right place at the right time with the right people."

The casino is one of the most ambitious tribal casino projects embarked upon in Michigan. While other facilities such as Soaring Eagle near Mount Pleasant opened to great success, Detroit's three non-tribal casinos -- MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Greektown Casino-Hotel -- have struggled in the past year as consumers pull back on discretionary spending.

In big gambling meccas, Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J., year-over-year gaming revenues have declined by double-digit percentages since last year.

"It's a tough time for all casinos, and newcomers are no exception," said Bill Eadington, a gaming expert based at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "But the good thing about the economy is that it will bounce back. It's just a question of how quickly."

In the troubles of others, Spurr and her tribe see potential.

For the complete story, please see Nathan Hurst, Tribe takes big gamble on new casino, The Detroit News, July 7, 2009.