Despite winning one round in court, the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan faces obstacles in reopening its off-reservation casino.
The site in Vanderbilt was acquired in connection with the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act. However the land has not been placed in trust. The tribe believes the MILCSA requires the site to be treated as "Indian land" as defined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. But the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Interior Department have not embraced that view. Generally, IGRA bars casinos on land acquired after 1988. But Section 20 of the law contains an exception for land claim settlements. If the Vanderbilt site is ever placed in trust, the tribe could seek to reopen the facility by seeking an exception. Get the Story: