Pokagon Band goes ahead with plans for second Michigan casino

Wednesday, July 28, 2010  

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will move forward with plans for a second casino in Michigan.

The tribe owns 300 acres in Hartford Township. That's about 50 miles from New Buffalo, where the tribe operates the Four Winds Casino.

The New Buffalo site was placed in trust before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The decision restricts the land-into-trust process to tribes that were "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934.

The Pokagon Band gained recognition through an act of Congress in 1994. The law states that the the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which authorized the land-into-trust process, "shall" apply to the tribe.

The tribe's Class III gaming compact authorizes a second casino. The agreement requires the tribe to work with local governments, a process that will begin in Hartford, where officials are welcoming the new development.

Get the Story:
Pokagon tribe pursues new casino (WNDU-TV 7/27)
New casino and hundreds of jobs could be coming to Van Buren County (WSBT-TV 7/27)

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Pokagon Band slated for 'major announcement' on another casino (7/27)