Kevin Leecy: Non-Indian racino will take jobs from tribal facilities

Wednesday, March 9, 2011  

"Backers of the project touted the jobs they said the racino would create. What they failed to point out was that these hypothetical jobs would come at the expense of hundreds of existing ones.

That’s because the racino wouldn’t create new gamers. Instead, it would draw them away from places like Fortune Bay Resort Casino, which employs 500 people in our region. The majority of these men and women are non-Indians.

Chances are good you know someone who works for Fortune Bay; the resort casino is the largest nonmining employer in Northeastern Minnesota. You probably also have met someone who works for one of the many companies that supply Fortune Bay with products and services.

In its 24 years of operation, Fortune Bay has done more than provide good-paying jobs with excellent benefits. Fortune Bay partners with local business groups to encourage tourism to the entire region. The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, which owns and operates Fortune Bay, invests gaming revenues in tribal government programs, services, and construction and infrastructure projects that serve and employ Indians and non-Indians. The band and Fortune Bay contribute to a wide range of charitable organizations and causes. And despite the ongoing recession, Fortune Bay has not laid off a single employee.

Would a racino have a similar commitment to this community? Though its current backers may be local, that could change. Big Las Vegas operations like Harrah’s and MGM can — and do — buy out local ventures. Investors take the cash, and a racino is left in the hands of absentee owners."

Get the Story:
Bois Forte Band Chairman Kevin Leecy: Racino would steal existing jobs (The Duluth News Tribune 3/8)
pwpwd

Related Stories:
Editorial: It's time to renegotiate casino compacts in Minnesota (3/8)