Spirit Lake Nation Opposes North Dakota Casino Push

• TMBCI wants to build a big casino resort in Grand Forks, ND
• SB 2376 would authorize a casino permit for the project
• Spirit Lake Nation says it would destabilize the state’s tribal gaming market

North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Nation isn’t a fan of a new bill, SB 2376, that would allow the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI,) to build a $280 million to $300 million casino resort just outside the city of Grand Forks, ND. That’s despite a longstanding friendship between the two tribes.

In a letter to the media, Spirit Lake Nation Chairwoman Lonna Street complained that the legislative process didn’t include consultation from the tribes that would be impacted by the proposed development.

Street said in her letter a Grand Forks casino could “divert critical revenue away from existing tribal casinos,” including the Nation’s own Spirit Lake Casino & Resort, around 100 miles to the west of the city.

‘Economic Challenges’

Despite being the largest tribe in North Dakota with around 31K members, TMBCI said in a letter of intent last month that it faces “economic challenges” because its Sky Dancer Casino is located in a relatively remote part of the state, a stone’s throw from the Canadian border.

TMBCI has acquired a 146-acre parcel of land southwest of Grand Forks City limits, which is earmarked for the casino project. The tribe envisages a “high-end resort” that would create jobs and revitalize the economy of the Grand Forks area.

‘Equal Partners’

Street says in her letter that the project could end up “jeopardizing the financial stability of tribal nations reliant on gaming for essential services.”

The fundamental concern with SB 2376 is that it was introduced without formal government-to-government consultation with the Spirit Lake Tribe and possibly other tribal nations,” she continued. “Tribal sovereignty and intergovernmental relations require that tribes be engaged as equal partners in decisions impacting their economies, livelihoods, and communities.”

Street added that the bill raised concerns because of past decisions made by the state without prior consultation with tribes, such as the expansion of gaming through electronic pull-tab machines, which harmed tribal casino revenue.

The bill was discussed at a Senate committee hearing last Wednesday, during which TMBCI Chairman Jamie Azure testified that the casino was part of a 10-year economic plan for his tribe.