The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians plans to invoke the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act for its off-reservation casino.

The tribe is buying land from the city of Lansing for the $245 million facility. When that happens, an application will be sent to the Interior Department to place the site in trust, according to a press release.

A provision in the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act states that land acquired by the tribe using settlement funds "shall be held in trust" by the federal government. The law has the tribe and the city hopeful for speedy federal approval -- typically, the land-into-trust process for off-reservation casinos can take years.

One other Michigan tribe, the Bay Mills Indian Community, has tried to use the settlement act to open an off-reservation casino. A federal judge ruled against the tribe and the case is now before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Elsewhere, only two tribes have opened casinos in connection with land claim settlements.

Get the Story:
Michigan could lose $22 million if Lansing lands casino (The Lansing State Journal 1/26)
MSU professor says purported crime, bankruptcies caused by casinos are myths (The Lansing News 1/26)
It's a safe bet lobbyists and flaks will be big winners (The Lansing City Pulse 1/25)
The gamble (The Lansing City Pulse 1/25)
Word on the street (The Lansing City Pulse 1/25)

Related Stories:
Land claim settlement act might aid off-reservation casino (1/25)
Editorial: Off-reservation casino worth pursuing in Michigan (1/25)
Another tribe opposed to off-reservation casino in Michigan (1/24)
Editorial: Sault Tribe off-reservation casino bad for Michigan (1/24)
Turtle Talk: An unrealistic timeline for off-reservation casino (1/23)
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe announces off-reservation casino plans (1/23)