White Earth Nation aims to stimulate economy with new casino

Friday, September 30, 2016

Wild rice at Star Lake in Minnesota. Photo by Star Lake Concerned Citizens Group
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The White Earth Nation is expanding its gaming enterprise in Minnesota.

The tribe just opened a second location of the Shooting Star Casino and is laying the groundwork for a third facility. But plans in Star Lake are facing opposition from some who believe the project will disrupt the rural character of the area.

"Nobody is terribly excited about the casino coming in," a local landowner told The Minneapolis Star Tribune. "As I've told people, if I had my druthers, we would have the only cabin on the lake."

A 14.5-acre portion of the 270-site in question has been held in trust for the tribe since the 1930s, The Star Tribune reported. So there's not much local officials can do to stop the casino.

But the Star Lake Concerned Citizens Group is keeping a close eye on the project and is waiting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to solicit public comments regarding wetlands activities at the site. The group is worried about environmental impacts at Star Lake.

Plans call for a facility with 180 hotel rooms, a recreational vehicle park and a convention center. Bill Marsh, the general manager at Shooting Star Casino, told The Star Tribune that it could open in early 2018.

"Our goal is not only to build a gaming facility, but also to strengthen the economy there," Marsh told the paper. "We believe the size of the hotel we're building is going to create more demand in the area, and we would be bringing overflow to the other resorts."

Read More on the Story:
Proposed casino project stirs emotions in Otter Tail County (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 9/30)