Indiana tribe received approval for state’s largest casino

The Bureau Of Indian Affairs authorised the tribe’s plan to open a casino on 160 acres of land.

US.- The Pokagon Band Of Potawatomi Indians announced that they will hold a conference next week in order to discuss the decision made by the Bureau Of Indian Affairs, after it blessed the tribe’s plan to open a US$400 million casino and hotel over 160 acred of land.

The casino that is supposedly set to open in South Bend, Indiana, would offer 44 units of housing, health services, government offices, a hotel and casino, and it would create 140 temporary jobs and 2000 permanent ones. The tribe said that it intends to male remarks related to the decision by the Bureau Of Indian Affairs to take into trust 166 acres of Pokagon band land located between Prairie Avenue, United States [Route] 31 and Locust Road in the city of South Bend.

According to the South Bend Tribune, the project could generate more than US$600 million in annual revenues, with 2 percent or no less than US$1 million designated to the city of South Bend. The tribe also agreed to donate US$5 million to local community projects and collect hotel taxes on behalf of the St Joseph County. The tribe currently operates three casinos in Dowagiac, New buffalo and Hartford, in Michigan.

Lawrence Roberts, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Indian Affairs at the United States Department Of The Interior, said: “More than four decades ago, the Pokagon Band Of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana (Tribe) submitted an application to the Bureau Of Indian Affairs requesting that we place into trust approximately 165.81 acres of land located in the city of South Bend, Indiana. The tribe expended its own funds to purchase the property with a vision that the restoration of tribal homelands would benefit the long-term health and welfare of the tribe. I am honored to inform you that we have agreed to accept this land into trust.”