Little Traverse casino revenue-sharing at issue

Friday, October 24, 2008  

Some local governments in Michigan are trying to get a bigger share of gaming revenues from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

The Class III compact requires the tribe to share 2 percent of revenues with local governments. The payment is distributed on a formula that is partially based on the value of the Odawa Casino Resort site -- before the land was taken into trust.

That means the Emmet County Local Revenue Sharing Board distributes payments based on the site’s pre-trust value of $421,000, The Petoskey News-Review reports. Some school and college officials say the payments should be based on the current value of the land -- a figure potentially as high as $140 million.

Get the Story:
Dividing dollars: Debate emerges over casino revenue sharing (The Petoskey News-Review 10/24)