People with knowledge on the matter have recently made a pessimistic forecast as to whether a casino venue will ever be established on the territory of Muskegon County and in Fruitport Township in particular.
Regardless of the attitudes and the pessimistic comments, it became clear that the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians does not seem to have abandoned its intentions for lobbying for the approval of a casino project. They aim at constructing a casino venue at the same place where Great Lakes Downs used to be located.
Larry Romanelli, the chief of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, said that everyone who expects them to give up on their plan will be disappointed as the casino project has been among their top priorities for quite some time.
Apparently, they wanted to prove of the above-mentioned statement and a few days ago, they took imminent actions towards the establishment of a casino in Fruitport Township.
The first step they took was to submit a request to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and ask for taking the land into trust. This is an obligatory step for the battle for casino construction to continue. The federal government members have to give their consent to taking the land into trust before the tribe can make any plans for opening a casino in the area.
Mr. Romanelli said that he and the other tribe officials realize that getting regulators’ approval would not be an easy mission. He also added that during the years, they have never thought about giving up and now, they are not going to give up as well.
However, apart from federal government’s approval, the casino project has to get the nod from the Legislature and the Governor of Michigan.
Yet, tribal officials remain hopeful that their idea for a casino venue will finally come true, especially when it will contribute to the diversification of the economy. Tribal leaders said that the Governor is likely to pay closer attention to the casino project since the area desperately needs reduction of the unemployment rate.
Of course, tribal representatives do realize that relying solely on the job openings for getting an approval is unrealistic but they do believe that could be an excellent start.
They expect the positive outcome to be announced anytime soon, probably before the beginning of spring.
Expectedly, the casino approval will be a subject to a lot of debates and public hearings. If everything goes according to the plan, more than 1,200 residents of Muskegon County will be employed. As for the casino floor, it is supposed to feature 1,700 slot machines and 35 table games. The accommodation will be presented by a luxurious hotel. Various entertainment facilities are to be available as well.
