Approval of a Dairyland casino for the Menominee Tribe is still the longest of long shots, but there were faint cracks in the ice after a summit meeting earlier this week. Contrary to earlier reports, participants did a little bit more than simply restate their basic position. Gov. Scott Walker (R) is credited with laying out a “path to approval,” although his demands are unknown.
Menominee Chairman Craig Corn said Walker “just wants us to address the concerns from some of the different tribal nations and get it back to him by next Tuesday.” The chairman also maintains that the Menominee can cut a deal with Potowatomi Bingo Casino, in Milwaukee, but that one other tribe stands in the way of a consensus. In the meantime, the Menominee are having a difficulty rounding up a consensus from the Kenosha area, which would benefit most from the casino.
One of the victims of Gary Loveman‘s attempt to take Caesars Entertainment and simultaneously expand the company was Grand Casino Biloxi. Post-Hurricane Katrina, the hotel tower stood empty and the property was sold to private developers. Now known as Island View Casino, it has inked a new, 50-year lease with the Mississippi Port Authority. As part of this new era, co-owners Rick Carter and Terry Green are going to gut the hotel tower, renovate it and spend $50 million in giving an Art Deco look. Green and Carter are to be congratulated for investing in a market that, in some respects, is still below pre-Katrina levels of capacity.
Kudos also to Steve Wynn, who donated $25 million to University of Iowa to create an eponymous Institute for Vision Research. The school said the money could expand lab space and accelerate research. It’s not as “george” as Wynn’s $135 million donation to University of Macao but it’s far from chicken feed, either. Wynn deserves S&G‘s thanks.
