The Michigan Indian tribe that operates the Gun Lake Casino said Thursday it contributed more than $5.2 million to the state, more than $2.2 million to local boards, and $1.5 million to an economic development entity through its revenue sharing program.
The Gun Lake Casino – located halfway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo – is operated by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, typically known as the Gun Lake Tribe.
The figures are calculated from electronic gaming revenues reported from April 1 through September 30.
“This revenue sharing distribution validates development decisions made by Tribal Council and casino management to study market demand and place value on guest experience,” said Gun Lake Tribe Chairman Bob Peters. “Our economic impact study confirms that our success supports thousands of great jobs while providing substantial benefits to Michigan’s economy.”
Last week, the tribe released the findings of an economic impact study, developed by the Innovation Group, showing the tribal government, Casino and Gun Lake Investments added $1.5 billion to Michigan’s economy from 2011-2017. The tribe’s annual economic impact contributes $228 million to the state’s economy while supporting 2,600 jobs.
The tribe has the exclusive gaming rights within the competitive market area, as defined by the tribal-state gaming compact, which also includes statewide expansion of certain lottery games. The market area includes the cities of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing, as well as the entire counties of Kent, Kalamazoo and Ingham.
The Tribe has now shared more than $80 million with the State of Michigan, which directs the payments to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which awards grants to businesses to invest in Michigan and create jobs.
Gun Lake Casino opened in February 2011 and now employs over 1,000 workers. The Gun Lake Tribe has now shared $118.3 million with state and local governments over 16 distributions.
