March 9, 2007

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and D.K. Sprague, tribal chairman of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, known as the Gun Lake Tribe, have reached an agreement on a proposed Class III Gaming Compact. The agreement is consistent with federal law and the process approved by the Michigan Supreme Court in Taxpayers of Michigan Against Casinos v State of Michigan. The compact signed today requires legislative approval.

"The Gun Lake Tribe has won a decisive victory in the federal courts, and it appears that placement of the tribe's Michigan land into federal trust is imminent," Granholm said. "Once the tribe's land goes into trust, the tribe will almost certainly have the right under federal law to open a commercial gaming facility - with or without a compact with the state. Given these circumstances, it is in the best interest of the state to enter into a gaming compact with the tribe to ensure that the state has both some say in the operation of the facility and an opportunity to share in its revenues."

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March 9, 2007 Lansing, MI