Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette, whose office is fighting an off-reservation casino in court, is also opposing an off-reservation casino for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
In a letter to the Interior Department, Schuette said the proposed casino in downtown Lansing violates state and federal law, along with the tribal-state Class III gaming compact. He urged the Obama administration to reject the project. The tribe plans to submit a land-into-trust application for the $245 million Kewadin Lansing Casino this summer. The site will be acquired using funds from the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act. A provision in the law requires the Interior Department to place settlement lands in trust. A similar claim is being made by the Bay Mills Indian Community, whose off-reservation casino is being challenged in court by Schuette. Get the Story: