Work continues on an expansion of the Ojibwa Casino, owned and operated by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Marquette, Michigan. Photo: Ojibwa Casino

Openings & Closings

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community invests nearly $50 million in gaming projects

Monday, August 26, 2019

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is on track to complete an expansion of its flagship casino after unveiling upgrades at another one of the tribe's facilities in Michigan.

The Ojibwa Casino in Marquette is getting a 1,200-seat event center, convention space for 400 people and more than 500 new slot machines, The Marquette Mining Journal reported. It's due to open before the end of the year.

The Ojibwa Casino in Baraga also benefited from upgrades on the interior, the restaurant and hotel rooms, along with a new ventilation system. The tribe celebrated the renovation in April.

According to the June 2019 issue of Wiikwedong Dazhi-Ojibwe, the tribe's newsletter, the work at Baraga cost nearly $7 million. The expansion at Marquette is costing more than $40 million.

"The investment being made to improve the Ojibwa Casinos is historical for our tribe, nearly 50 million dollars," general manager Larry Denomie III said, according to the newsletter.

The tribe also distributed another $1.31 million to local communities and the state of Michigan, according to the newsletter. Of that amount, $263,037.34 went to to Marquette County and Baraga County, representing 2 percent of net win from all Class III electronic games at the two Ojibwa Casino locations.

Another 8 percent of the Class III net win, or $1,052,149.26, went to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.