Indiana's only federally-recognized Indian tribe, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, has reached an agreement with South Bend to develop a casino on land it plans to take into trust for the tribe on the city's southwest side to develop a casino. The tribe had no legal obligation to enter into an agreement with South Bend, but the tribe saw it in its interest to reach an agreement with the city that benefited both the tribe and local residents.
According to the South Bend Tribune, the Pokagons have agreed to share 2% of the annual net casino revenues with the city, which will not be less than $1 million if the casino has between 850 and 1,699 games, and not less than $2 million has 1,700 or more games. The Pokagons have also agreed to share $5 million in donations over a 5-year period for a diverse list of projects, including South Bend schools, a newborn intensive care unit at Memorial Children's Hospital and more than $2.2 million to make improvements to Howard Park along the St. Joseph River downtown.
The Pokagons were prepared to build a casino in St. Joseph County two decades ago after the tribe attained its federally-recognized status, but state and local opposition and lobbying by other casino interests blocked the tribe from reaching an agreement to build in Indiana. Michigan officials in 1998 jumped at the opportunity to negotiate a compact with the tribe under which it developed its highly successful Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan, which has wreaked havoc on casino revenues of other northeastern Indiana casinos since its opening in 2007.
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