Editorial: Bay Mills off-reservation casino remains pipe dream

Tuesday, February 15, 2011  

"For the past several months, Port Huron has been buoyed by the renewed possibility of casino gambling. The Bay Mills Indian Community, a major player in Michigan's gaming industry, bought about 16 acres of land at Desmond Landing, raising hopes Port Huron might finally get the casino it has sought for more than a decade.

Last year, Bay Mills opened a new casino in Vanderbilt, a village of less than 600 people in northern Michigan's Otsego County. The facility is a symbol of hope. If it stays open, there's a chance Bay Mills could use its Desmond Landing property to open a casino in Port Huron.

You can't blame gambling advocates for keeping their fingers crossed. A casino alone wouldn't reverse the city's ailing economy, but it could help.

The Port Huron gaming operation could create more than 1,000 new jobs, just what a city struggling with chronic unemployment wants to see. Commercial development that usually comes with gaming houses could further boost the city's economic fortunes."

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Editorial: Port Huron's casino remains a pipe dream (The Port Huron Times Herald 2/15)