The Gun Lake Tribe of Potowatomis has announced fall revenue sharing payments as part of its compact with state and local governments.
The State of Michigan received $5,613,249 and the local revenue sharing board received $2,384,933. GLIMI, an economic development entity, received $1,683,975.
The City of Wayland and the townships of Dorr, Leighton, Hopkins and Martin each received check s for about $19,000 at the semi-annual presentation event Wednesday, Dec. 18.
The figures are calculated from electronic gaming revenues reported this year from April 1 to Sept. 30.
Bob Peters, chairman of the Gun Lake Tribe, said, “This revenue sharing distribution to the state and local communities allows us to continue the mission of Gun Lake Casino by providing a thriving work environment for our team members, endless opportunities for our tribal citizens, and dedicated service to the quality of life for Michigan’s citizens. We recently announced expansion of Gun Lake Casino to add great new amenities and experiences for our guests, and this will provide deeper revenue sharing distributions and career opportunities into the future.”
The Tribe’s state revenue sharing payments are dependent on the continued preservation of exclusive gaming rights within its 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, among others.
The Tribe has now shared more than $91 million with the State of Michigan, which directs the payments to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The MEDC in turn awards grants to businesses to invest in Michigan and create jobs.
The Local Revenue Sharing Board receives and administers the semi-annual payments. The gaming compact prescribes mandatory funding to local municipalities for costs incurred due to the operation of the casino; public safety services and replacement of tax revenue.
The Board established by-laws to govern the distribution process.The local payments are made under terms of the gaming compact independent of gaming exclusivity.
Gun Lake Casino opened in February 2011 and now employs more than 1,200 team members and is the third largest employer in Allegan County. The Gun Lake Tribe has now shared $136,337,400 with state and local governments over 18 distributions.