A view of the gaming floor at the Aseneskak Casino on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba. Photo from Facebook
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The Peguis First Nation of Manitoba is working on plans to relocate a Native-owned casino to an urban area, The Winnipeg Free Press reports.
The proposal calls for the Aseneskak Casino to be moved closer to Winnipeg, the largest city in the province, the paper said. The site would be at or near the Assiniboia Downs, a non-Native racetrack.
The project is contingent on approval from the provincial government, the paper said. In the past, officials have said they would not consider a casino in or near Winnipeg.
"We can confirm that neither Minister Chomiak nor the premier has stated support for any such proposal," the Manitoba government said in a statement to the paper. Minister David Chomiak is the official in charge of gaming in the province.
The plan would also depend on approval from the six First Nations that operate the Aseneskak Casino. The 20,000 square-foot facility is located on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, nearly 7 hours north of Winnipeg.
The Peguis First Nation is not one of the bands that operates the casino.
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(The Winnipeg Free Press 6/20)