Sault Ste. Marie Tribe Continues to Seek Decision to Construct Two Casinos in Michigan
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The Chippewa Indian Tribe of Sault Ste. Marie is still pursuing legal action to establish a new casino.
The tribe requested on March 4 that the D.C. Circuit Court overturn an earlier decision made by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, which held that the Department of Interior was right to reject the tribe’s request to construct two new top Michigan casinos in two locations.
This is the most recent development in the tribe’s plan to construct casinos in Lansing and New Boston, close to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe’s Legal Fight History
Sault Ste. Marie is home to the Chippewa Tribe of Sault Ste. Marie Indians’ headquarters. They run Kewadin Casinos, which are spread over five sites in the Upper Peninsula. Sault Tribe Online Gaming is the operator of WynnBET, one of the online casinos in MI.
The SSM tribe believes that the only way to make enough money to support the tribe’s further development is to generate casino income on the lower peninsula, given the sparse population that surrounds tribal headquarters.
Notably, the disputed property at both places was acquired by the SSM tribe in 2012. In particular, it bought a 2.3-acre plot in Lansing and a 71-ace block of property in New Boston.
Furthermore, they certify that the acquisitions were done using their Self-Sufficiency Fund with the intention of having the US DOI put the properties in trust so that casinos might be built there. The Kewadin Casinos Gaming Authority carried out preparations for further growth.
