Gun Lake Casino Ruling Smokescreen For New Grand Rapids Casino?

Here me out on this one. Even though long before the thought of a casino by 131 off Ionia was formulated, the thought of closing the Gun Lake casino has been years old. Or at least making the land unable to operate a casino on. I will say two things first. One, Gun Lake Casino is an advertiser on WFGR. And two, I frequent the Gun Lake Casino and have a wonderful time. It's a nice place, well kept, and fun.

But there are others who want to see the casino closed. Their argument is that the land was illegally taken into Federal Trust and awarded to the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians — also known as the Gun Lake Tribe — to build the casino. Since the tribe wasn't Federally recognized in 1934, when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed, the lawsuit states the land shouldn't have been awarded to the tribe. The lawsuit had been shot down in District Court, but the Supreme Court ruled yesterday the lawsuit can continue.

Here's my two cents. The plan to build many more casinos in Michigan--including the one less than 20 miles away in Grand Rapids--would be much more attractive if the competition was forced out of business. That Burger King will do much more business if the McDonald's down the road is gone. Wonder if the backers of this lawsuit have similar interests in the Grand Rapids Casino?

Just a thought.