The Potawatomi story was on the news tonight, just thought I'd post it.
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Casino expansion deal
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 4 – It won't be confused with Las Vegas or Atlantic
City but the Potawatomi casino in Milwaukee could get a whole lot bigger in the
next few years.
The state and the tribe have reached an agreement that allows the
Potawatomi to expand.
Details of the deal were announced Friday afternoon. The Potawatomi get to
add 800 slot machines, bringing their total to 1,000.
The tribe also gets to bring in 25 blackjack tables.
In exchange the Potawatomi will pay the state $6-million each year of the
five-year agreement.
*******(I think this is 30% of the annual income of the casino.)******
But the deal is contingent on local approval. The city and county must pass
resolutions supporting the expansion. And the battle lines there are already being
drawn.
REACTION AT THE CASINO
Whether they've won or lost at Potawatomi, patrons there think the casino
has hit the jackpot with its new compact.
“I think it's great,” a patron called Louise said, “'cause I love to come down
here for recreation.”
Another patron, Robert Slaby explained, “People are going to gamble
regardless, whether they go to Oneida(Green Bay area), Ho-Chunk(Wis. Dells area)or Lac Court Oreilles.”
CITY AND COUNTY REACTION
But the Potawatomi still have a hurdle before cashing in on the new deal. If
the city and county don't pass resolutions, the tribe goes back to the negotiating
table where expansion is not a sure bet.
At the county level, there's strong casino support. County Executive Tom
Ament explained why, “The last several months, support to my office in letters
and calls have been in favor of a compact similar to this.”
At the city level, opposition to casino expansion is strong.
Mayor John Norquist said he would veto the expansion plan, “It's the wrong
thing to do. It's immoral. The other reason to oppose it even if you are a
gambler is that it's a bad deal.”
The Potawatomi plan on trying to beat a Norquist veto. Potawatomi Attorney
Jeff Crawford said, “We will be making that effort, and we will talk to each
councilman and try to get their support. There are tremendous positive for the
city and we wanna let them know about that.”
The mayor will only need 6 alderman to prevent a veto override, and six have
already announced their opposition to the casino expansion.
ANTI GAMBLING GROUP
One group fears the casino expansion would do more harm than good.
Vernon Jensen with the Wisconsin Council on Gambling Problems said
compulsive gambling would increase. He said the community lacks the services
to fight that problem. “Many families are left destitute and it really has quite a
socioeconomic impact on our society and bankruptcies have skyrocketed,”
Jensen said.
There are still some hurdles before the casino gets any additional slots or
blackjack. The city and county have 120-days to pass the resolutions supporting
expansion. If they fail to do that the tribe and state will have to renegotiate a
new deal.
msnbc.com
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