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FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – A tribal casino development proposed for West Michigan has a long way to go, according to another tribe based in another part of the state.

A spokesman for the tribe opposing the proposed Muskegon County casino, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, said it will "deploy every resource available" to stop the project.

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians – which already operates one casino in Manistee – proposes to take 60 acres in trust for a $180 million casino and economic development project at the former Great Lakes Downs racetrack site in Muskegon County's Fruitport Township.

The lengthy application process seemed to move ahead a step earlier this month when the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs scheduled a public hearing at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at Fruitport Middle School. Elected leaders at the county and local level support the project.

Not so fast, said James Nye, a spokesman for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

"Little River already has a large and successful casino-hotel resort on its actual reservation in Manistee," Nye wrote in a statement. "This is nothing more than reservation shopping for a more lucrative casino. That is not Indian gaming; it is commercial gaming. We oppose this on principled grounds because it sets a terrible precedent.

"Tribes have gaming because of our governmental status under federal law. If tribes act like corporations, we are bound to be treated that way by the federal government and the courts. Indian gaming was supported by the U.S. Congress in 1988 to provide jobs and economic development for Indian communities."

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe already has two casinos – one in Mt. Pleasant and another in Standish. But Nye said it's "comparing apples to oranges" to compare the two Chippewa casinos to the second casino sought by the Little River Band. The Chippewa tribe's casinos are both located on land already held in trust, he said.

"The Congress made clear in 1994 upon passage of Little River's recognition act that the proper territory for it to obtain trust lands is limited to Manistee and Mason counties. There were arguments made at that time for extending the territory to Muskegon, which Congress flatly rejected.

"We will ask the federal government to uphold Little River's compact commitment to the state and other Indian tribes, which limits it to one casino and requires a written agreement before off-reservation gaming can occur. We will deploy every resource available to prevent this ill-conceived casino proposal from becoming a reality." 

In a phone interview, Nye speculated the Department of Interior's rulings could be challenged in court, and emphasized that any federal actions would still need to be approved at the state level in order to take effect.

The Little River Band tribal government responded to Nye in a statement of its own:

"Muskegon is a part of our historical homeland and we are seeking approval to open a casino there under the same laws that all tribal casinos have been opened in Michigan including the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant."

According to a document on the tribe's website, the Muskegon River area was historically occupied by Little River Ottawas prior to a 1836 treaty. Little River Band officials have said in the past that more than 600 of their members live in Muskegon County and they currently operate an office in Muskegon County.