"The deal that allowed a tribal casino to open and operate in the middle of downtown Duluth (unheard of!) has been quite the boon for the city and for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Until August 2009, that is.

That’s when the band suddenly started keeping all of Fond-du-Luth Casino’s gross revenues — about $31.6 million a year, including the $6 million a year that had been going to the city in accordance with the band’s and the city’s 1994 deal. The band up and decided the deal wasn’t lawful, a contention rejected by federal courts but supported Tuesday by the National Indian Gaming Commission. Never mind the gaming commission, like the federal courts, approved the original deal.

“The parties share in the profits, with the city assuming no risk (and) providing no services commensurate with the payments received,” Gaming Commission Chairwoman Tracie Stevens wrote in the Tuesday-released, 20-page “notice of violation.”"

Get the Story:
Our view: Casino compromise a win-win for city, band (The Duluth News-Tribune 7/15)

Related Stories:
NIGC issues NOV on 1994 Fond du Lac Band gaming agreement (7/13)