Keweenaw Bay Indian Community sees support for new casino site

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community owns and operates the Ojibwa Casino in Marquette, Michigan. Photo by Ocie Albert / Facebook

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The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community hasn't been able to convince Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to support a new casino site but at least one lawmaker is supporting the effort.

The tribe wants to move the Ojibwa Casino in Marquette to a location that's actually closer to the reservation. State Rep. Scott Dianda (D) believes the project will create more opportunities in the area.

"We definitely need that project - to build that casino in Marquette County," Dianda told Local 3 News. "That is something we are looking at with job losses from Cleveland Cliffs. And, that's an opportunity to have more people employed in this county and it's something that has to be done."

The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe's request in December 2011 under the under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. But Synder refused to concur in June 2013.

The tribe recently asked Snyder to reconsider but his office said he won't take another look unless the tribe goes through the lengthy process all over again.

Since IGRA became law in 1988, only three tribes have opened casinos after completing both steps of the two-part determination process. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community won approval for the casino in Marquette in 2000.