Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is demanding a bigger share of Indian gaming revenues without offering anything in return, tribal leaders said.
Tribes that signed compacts in 1993 agreed to share 8 percent with the state and 2 percent with local communities. But they stopped the 8 percent share after commercial and other gaming options were authorized in the state. The 20-year agreements expire in November and Snyder has proposed new deals with a sliding scale of 8 percent to 12 percent, Bridge Magazine reported. Tribal leaders said they were insulted by the offer. “It’s garbage,” James Williams Jr., the chairman of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, told the magazine. “To be honest, I was offended by it.” "It’s a non-starter. Negotiations have to include something for something. added Aaron Payment, the chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. “They are offering us nothing.” Get the Story: