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Muskegon approves casino pact with U.P. tribe |
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Muskegon, Michigan (AP) 2-08
The Muskegon City Commission has entered into a financial agreement with an American Indian tribe based in the Upper Peninsula that wants to build a casino in the city.
Commissioners approved the casino pact by a 5-2 vote.
The agreement with the Watersmeet-based Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewas, which could generate an estimated $4.5 million in annual revenue for the city, is nonbinding and nonexclusionary, meaning similar agreements could be forged with other casino entities. The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians presented its own, much larger casino proposal to city officials a day earlier.
Besides receiving approval from city officials, a tribe seeking to open a casino in Muskegon would be required to meet numerous state and federal regulations that govern Indian gambling sites.
If the Lac Vieux Desert tribe opens a casino, it would pay the city a $2 million one-time payment spread over five years. The city would get 2 percent of the casino proceeds, minus payouts on slot machines, and another 2 percent toward a “general community benefits contribution,” The Muskegon Chronicle reported.
The city also would get a $200 quarterly fee for each of 1,500 proposed slots. Full property taxes also would be assessed.
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