Casino groundbreaking at Red Lake, MN

[Minn. Fatz]

The Bemidji Pioneer (http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/ ... n=homepage) reports Minnesota's Red Lake band have broken ground for an expanded casino. This will also let them use their community center, where the casino is currently, as a community center. Plans are for a convention center and 40 hotel suites. Citing the band's reports, the story states the band clears $5.9 m yearly from its three Seven Clans casinos on the main reservation, in Thief River Falls and in Warroad.

[shadowman]

I know many of the MN casinos are experiencing a loss of revenue due to economic conditions (like most other states). Doesn't seem like the best time for a new casino, but maybe they figure the economy will be coming back by the time it is completed.

[Minn. Fatz]

Although there's no VP at Minnesota horse tracks (yet), recent reports that Canterbury Park has laid off 10 percent of its employees and that Running Aces is now in the hands of its creditors seem to reinforce the trend.

[Minn. Fatz]

Update: the Pioneer reports the Mdewakanton band (Mystic Lake) will give $30m to Red Lake, mostly for construction of the new casino: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/ ... ction=News. Seems things mahy not be so bad everywhere in Minn. after all . . .