Little River Band‘s quest for a new casino has come to end, leaving the tribe with little to show for a decade and a half of effort. Since 2008, the Little River Band had been eyeing a site in Fruitport Township for its second casino, but never secured the necessary approvals.
There are a number of factors that played led to the tribe having to abandon its effort. One of those relates to another group, the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, whose bid for federal recognition is still undecided.
Little River Band operates the Little Rivers Casino Resort in Mainstee and was hoping for a second facility in Fruitport. However, the Grand River Bands, were they to gain federal status, would want to open a casino in a similar location. That caused Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to balk at letting the Little River Band get there first.
New casino project in jeopardy
Little River Band had invested 14 years of effort and $30 million in its plans to build a $180 million structure on an 87-acre plot of land. The plan was to install 1,700 slot machines and 35 table games into the casino.
However, the effort appears to be as good as over. Little River Band’s Ogema Larry Romanelli, told News Advocate Mainstee:
“I got word from the attorneys that we’re working with and they said, ‘Well, Larry, it looks like it’s pretty much dead.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me?'”
Little River Band is a federally recognized tribe with a retail casino and BetRivers as its online gambling partner. Another physical property would have added approximately 3,000 jobs, 1,500 of them permanent.
The funds generated from another casino would also go to tribal members living in the Mainstee area.
Grand River Bands decision playing a key role
The Grand River Bands is fighting to be a federally recognized tribe in the United States. Despite the Department of Interior (DOI) formally rejected the request in February 2023, the tribe has not given up, though they are recognized in Michigan.
Senator Gary Peters introduced a bill last September that reaffirms and clarifies “the Federal relationships of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan as a federally recognized Indian tribe, and for other purposes.”
Should Grand River Bands be federally recognized, it would own the rights to the land in Fruitport where the Little River Band had slated to build its casino. It would also have implications for the Michigan online casino market, as a new retail casino licensee would also mean one new slot for an online gambling brand to operate.
Little River Band planned to break ground in the summer of 2022, but Gov. Whitmer ultimately rejected the proposal. She did so because of the decision looming on the Grand River Bands:
“The Department of Interior first needs to decide whether they are providing federal recognition for the neighboring Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. It is critical to have this information before making an informed decision.”
Peters’ bill gives the Grand River Bands hope of gaining federally recognized status one day. As Gov. Whitmer alluded to, that blocks Little River Band for the time being.
There is no timetable on a ruling for the Grand River Bands. It’s certainly possible that this case drags on for years to come, with nothing coming to the land.
Building new casinos are a big deal for Michigan tribes
New casinos are a great way for tribes in the Great Lakes State to raise funds to help members in various ways. However, there are a lot of politics involved in getting a property over the finish line.
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (SSM) are currently experiencing something similar to the Little River Band. SSM is attempting to secure land for a casino to be built near Detroit but was blocked by the DOI.
As a result, SSM filed a SCOTUS last month, which, in other words, is now asking the United States Supreme Court to hear its case.
SSM currently operates five Kewadin Casinos throughout the Upper Peninsula. It wants a sixth to help develop the tribe even more. However, the DOI does not believe building a casino in the southern part of the state would qualify as “enhancing” the tribe’s existing land, hundreds of miles away.
This case has also been ongoing since 2012. There is no timeline for that one, either. It could take several more years before Little River Band, Grand River Bands and SSM get a final ruling on any of the causes its fighting for.
