Tribe reviving plans for Mackinaw City casino

The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians announced this week that construction of a 5,000-square-foot "boutique" casino would begin in September on vacant Mackinaw City property the tribe purchased in 2012.

The tribal council June 18 approved a USD3.2 million fund transfer to jump start construction of the casino as part of a 5-year economic development plan that also includes a new 130-room hotel at the tribe's existing Odawa Casino in Petoskey.

In Mackinaw City, the tribe wants to build on the former Thunder Falls Water Park site at 1028 Nicolet St., which is located next to tribal trust lands on the south side of town. The park closed in October 2012 after eight years.

"We have always intended to develop the land, but the timing and the exact plan for the casino haven't been right until now," said Regina Gasco-Bentley, chairperson for the Odawa tribe, in a statement.

The yet-unnamed Mackinaw City casino is scheduled for opening in May 2016 and will be followed by an adjacent 25-space RV park.

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the tribe can operate a second casino in Emmet County in exchange for making higher revenue sharing payments to the state under a renegotiated gaming compact.

The tribe must seek local approval to operate the facility as a Class III gaming site, allowing for table games like craps, blackjack and roulette. In 2003, the village council rejected a tribal application to build a casino north of the new site.

Mackinaw City Village Manager David White said the village only found out about the revived casino plans through a Monday afternoon news release that arrived "out of left field."

"We've had no discussions with (the tribe) at all.”, he added. Questions about local revenue sharing benefits and other considerations are likely to be raised at the village council regular meeting next Thursday.

A call to Odawa casino manager Eric McLester was not immediately returned. The Mackinaw City casino would include 64 slot machines. The Odawa Casino Resort in Petoskey has 1,300 slot machines and other gaming. It replaced the Victories Casino upon opening in 2007. The Petoskey expansion project would begin in 2019, the tribe said.