"The Little River Band recently paid off the debt on its 425,000-square-foot Manistee casino, resort and convention center, which puts it in a good position for future economic development opportunities, like its Muskegon County casino proposal.

It is anticipated the Little River Band’s casino at the former racetrack site in Fruitport Township will create 700 permanent jobs and another 300 temporary construction jobs through a $100 million investment in the community.

Salaries for the more than 700 casino jobs would average $40,000 annually plus benefits. About 25 percent of Muskegon County residents do not have health insurance. About 11 percent, or nearly 10,000 people, don’t have a job.

There’s also another danger lurking. If the state doesn’t act on requests for casino expansions, the tribes may take action on their own. The Bay Mills tribe, which operates a casino in Brimley in the Upper Peninsula, recently opened a new casino in Vanderbilt in the Lower Peninsula without seeking state or federal approval. The tribe, which is federally recognized, says it is allowed to open casinos on land it owns.

A federal judge heard arguments seeking an injunction to close the new casino last week. A decision is expected soon. The state could have a lot to lose.

Muskegon County residents have voiced support for gambling both at hearings and straw votes and through their support of gambling. The county is a major purchaser of lottery tickets and supports a healthy bingo and Texas Hold’em charity game business. This area needs the nearly 1,000 temporary and permanent jobs the casino would generate and the estimated $400 million impact on the economy."

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Editorial: A sure bet: Casino proposal will bring jobs to Muskegon (The Muskegon Chronicle 3/29)