Kewadin Casinos

Kewadin Casinos
Industry Gambling
Founded 1984 (1984) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States
Headquarters Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States
Area served
 Midwestern United States
Owner Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Website www.kewadin.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

The Kewadin Casinos are a set of casinos located in the US state of Michigan. The casinos are owned by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The primary property is located in Sault Ste. Marie, with additional locations in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique, and St. Ignace.[1][2][3][4]

History

Road entrance sign for Kewadin Casino–Christmas

In 1984, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors voted to open Kewadin Casinos.[1][3]

Initial casinos in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Kewadin Casinos opened its Sault Ste. Marie property in November 1985, originally as a one-room blackjack house.[3][4]

In 1987, Kewadin Casinos opened Kewadin Shores Casino–St. Ignace.[4]

In 1994, Kewadin Casinos opened casinos in Christmas, Kewadin Casino–Hessel, and Manistique.[4]

Greektown Casino Hotel

The Tribe previously owned a majority interest in Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit. However, the casino did not operate under the Kewadin name.[5]

Lansing Kewadin Casino

On January 19, 2012, Kewadin Casinos and Mayor of Lansing, Virgil Bernero, announced plans for a $245 million casino to be built in Downtown Lansing's entertainment district.[2][6][7][8][9] Plans call for the opening of a temporary casino until a 125,000 square feet (11,600 m2) facility was completed on land owned by the City of Lansing to be purchased by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.[5][6] The proposed urban modern-themed casino would be located at Michigan Avenue and Cedar Street, adjacent to the Lansing Center, and include up to 3,000 slot machines, 48 table games, bars, and restaurants.[5][6] The plan was approved by the Lansing City Council on March 19, 2012,[10] and the Tribe in May 2012.[11]

The Lansing casino faces opposition from the Michigan Attorney General who filed a lawsuit in September 2012 to block the casino on the grounds that the casino violates federal law and a gaming compact with Michigan.[12] An injunction issued on the project in April 2013 by a federal judge[13] was lifted by a federal appeals court in December 2013 when the court ruled that the lower court did not have jurisdiction and should not have issued the injunction.[14] In May 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against the State of Michigan in a case regarding an off-reservation casino opened by the Bay Mills Indian Community, stating that tribes had sovereign immunity. The ruling prompted the Attorney General to drop his appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States regarding the injunction on the Lansing casino project.[15] The original lawsuit remained in a federal court where the Attorney General focused on tribal officials for violating a Michigan gaming compact.[15] On September 16, 2015, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled that the tribe did not violate any laws when submitting a trust application to federal officials.[16]

In June 2014, the tribe requested that the United States Department of the Interior take the land purchased for the Lansing casino into trust. Approval by the United States Secretary of the Interior is required by the 1997 Michigan Land Claims Settlement Act.[8] As of September 2015, the application is pending.[16]

Detroit Metropolitan Airport area casino

In June 2014, the tribe indicated it was considering a casino on a 71-acre (29 ha) property near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.[8]

Properties

Kewadin Casino–Manistique

Current properties

Kewadin Casinos currently includes these properties:

Name Location Opened Notes
Kewadin Casino–Christmas Christmas 1994 [4]
Kewadin Casino–Hessel Hessel 1994 [4]
Kewadin Casino–Manistique Manistique 1994 [4]
Kewadin Casino, Hotel and Convention Center Sault Ste. Marie November 1985 [3][4]
Kewadin Shores Casino–St. Ignace St. Ignace 1987 [4]

Proposed properties

Kewadin Casinos has official proposed these properties:

Name Location Status Notes
Lansing Kewadin Casino Lansing Land trust application pending with the U.S. Department of the Interior [2][5][6][7][8][9]

Past properties

Kewadin Casinos was previously involved with these properties:

Name Location Opened Notes
Greektown Casino Hotel Detroit November 10, 2000 [5]

Marketing

The casinos utilize a loyalty program, known as the Northern Rewards Club.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Us". Kewadin Casinos. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kewadin Casinos". Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Happy Birthday, 20-year-old!". SooToday.com. October 31, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mikus, Matt (December 30, 2010). "Casino Spurs Growth Era for Tribe". St. Ignace News. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sault Ste. Marie Tribe Plans Lansing Casino; 1,500 jobs, $250 Million a Year in Revenue predicted". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kewadin Casinos. "About Lansing Kewadin Casino". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Carmody, Steve. "Lansing Residents Will Hear More Tonight About the Proposed Casino Project". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Carmody, Steve. "Lansing Casino Project Moves Ahead". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe Announce Plans for $245 Million Casino in Downtown Lansing". MLive. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ Carmody, Steve. "Lansing City Council Gives OK to Controversial Casino Project". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Carmody, Steve. "Tribe Votes in Favor of Lansing Casino Project". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ Carmody, Steve. "Michigan's Attorney General Files Suit to Block Proposed Lansing Casino". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  13. ↑ Carmody, Steve. "Tribe Appeals Injunction Blocking Lansing Casino Project". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ Carmody, Steve. "Federal Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Lansing Casino Project". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  15. 1 2 Carmody, Steve. "Attorney General Shifts Tactics in Lansing Casino Case". Michigan Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Alusheff, Alexander (September 16, 2015). "Federal Judge Throws Out State's Case Against Lansing Casino". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Our Club". Kewadin Casinos. Retrieved March 20, 2016.

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