"In 1991, Port Huron voters had a real shot at becoming an economic heavyweight, but by a handful of votes rejected what could have been the very first off-reservation casino in Michigan.
In 1993, after years of battling, the “compact” between Michigan and its tribes was settled. The tremendous economic impact generated by gaming opened the door for the 1996 approval of three casinos in Detroit.
With Port Huron voters’ 2001 approval, Bay Mills spent the few years failing to get Congress to make its proposed casino site in Port Huron “reservation land.” In November 2011, Bay Mills took another run with its “new legal theory” declaring its casino site in Vanderbilt “reservation land.” The state shut it down within weeks.
Now it was the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ turn. Sault Ste. Marie tried the same legal play with its proposed Lansing casino, declaring the Lansing site “reservation land.” Two weeks ago, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office was in federal court to shut down the Lansing casino before it had a chance to open."
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Cliff Schrader: Port Huron missed a bet with '91 casino gambling proposal (The Port Huron Times Herald 2/8)
Cliff Schrader: Port Huron missed a bet with '91 casino gambling proposal (The Port Huron Times Herald 2/8)
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