"The latest tribal casino imbroglio illustrates what a tangled web government weaves when it attempts to determine who will be winners and losers in the marketplace. Five tribes want Michigan to crack down on a new slot machine hall the Bay Mills Indian Community has installed 100 miles south of its Upper Peninsula headquarters near Brimley, arguing it violates the spirit of the law allowing casinos on tribal land.

In a perfect world, casino locations would be based on business prospects. But because gambling is a regulated industry, the state is going to have to wade into this controversy, and Gov.-elect Rick Snyder will inherit the job of negotiating some new ground rules with the Indian communities regarding the proliferation of casinos.

The controversial slot parlor opened just after the Nov. 2 election in Vanderbilt, just off I-75 about 50 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge. Apparently it's backed by money and a legal theory from a settlement between the U.S. government and two Indian groups, the Bay Mills Indian Community and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Opponents say the state's failure to challenge the operation could open the door to a virtually unchecked expansion of gambling in Michigan, a casino-building free-for-all. The state has 23 casinos now and the various Indian communities clearly aren't done seeking new sites."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Rolling the dice (The Detroit News 12/15)

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