22nd casino to open in Michigan

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The FireKeepers Casino is scheduled to add to Michigan’s 20-plus casinos this summer.

However, according to CEO Andy Asselin of the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, 6800 E. Soaring Eagle Blvd., the new competition is not a concern for the Mount Pleasant-based casino.

“(Mount Pleasant) is a perfect location for people and it’s centrally located,” he said. “We also have the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino location to serve guests.”

Asselin also said the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has “never been opposed to other tribal casinos coming into the area.”

The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians is planning to open the FireKeepers Casino this summer on I-94, near Battle Creek. The new facility will offer Las Vegas-style gambling with slot machines, table games and poker tables as well as five dining options.

Jamie Stuck, treasurer for the Nottawaseppi Tribal Council and Central Michigan University alumnus, believes that building the casino offers community members an opportunity to express pride.

“This gives us income to provide things for our community,” he said.

The 1,054-member tribe has waited more than a decade to receive the necessary approvals to build a casino for their tribe. This will be the 22nd casino in Michigan, according to the michigan.org Web site.

Stuck said without the tribe becoming federally recognized by the U.S. government, the construction of the new facility would not be possible.

“Becoming reaffirmed and federally recognized is not just about getting a casino but about being recognized as a people,” Stuck said.

William Masterson, executive director of marketing and entertainment at Soaring Eagle, believes the casino’s four-diamond rating is also an asset to not being afraid of a little casino competition.

“We concentrate on our player database looking at the quality players to bring up to our facility,” Masterson said. “We also focus on customer service issues and they’re not necessarily huge things but things that will make a difference from a customer standpoint.”

Masterson said the four-diamond rating is a great asset to the casino and approximately 3 percent of all properties in Michigan receive the rating, which averages out to about 15 properties a year.

“The tribe is looking at what our needs are and what we need to do to fill those needs,” Masterson said.

metro@cm-life.com