"It's good news that the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians has prospered to the extent that it is proposing a new venture in Hartford, Mich.

The Four Winds Casino which opened in New Buffalo three years ago is estimated to be bringing in about $1 million in revenue a day. The Pokagons have put the profits to work funding health and social services for members, and housing, educational and cultural programs. The casino employs more than 2,000 residents, including many members of the tribe.

It's easy to see why the Pokagons are excited about the plan to expand into Van Buren County and why many people of Hartford welcome the development.

But it seems to us that it would be even more beneficial to the tribe and the Hartford community if the Pokagons were instead leveraging their substantial resources into a non-casino enterprise.

Michigan is nearly saturated with more than 20 casinos, and gamblers surely don't need another one less than an hour's drive from parlors in New Buffalo, Grand Rapids and a third site under development near Allegan.

The Pokagons, who have indeed been studying other sorts of economic development efforts, might win bigger if they pushed ahead immediately with diversifying their interests."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The Pokagons' opportunity (The South Bend Tribune 8/9)

Related Stories:
Pokagon Band compact authorizes up to three casinos in Michigan (7/29)
Pokagon Band goes ahead with plans for second Michigan casino (7/28)
Pokagon Band slated for 'major announcement' on another casino (7/27)