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Hundreds Rally Against Michigan Racino Bills

LANSING, Michigan – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Hundreds of local government officials, Native American tribal members, Detroit residents, anti-gambling activists and others gathered at the state Capitol today to urge the Legislature and Governor Granholm to protect thousands of Michigan jobs and kill the "racino" bills.

House Bills 4609-4612 would turn Michigan's seven horse racetracks into casinos by adding 500 to 2,000 slot machines at each track. The bills are overwhelmingly opposed by Michigan voters (including voters in Northern Michigan and Detroit) and 17 Michigan newspapers (including The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Crain's Detroit Business, Lansing State Journal, Grand Rapids Press, and Traverse City Record-Eagle).

Rally participants warned that the racino bills would do significant economic harm to Detroit and Northern Michigan and every Michigan community that relies on casino gaming today for jobs, revenues and tourism. They asked the full Senate to reject the bills and protect thousands of jobs in Detroit and Northern Michigan, 2-percent payments and tourism in local communities across the state, and hundreds of millions of dollars in gaming revenues for communities statewide.

A study conducted by Michigan Consultants, a Lansing-based economic research firm, concluded that Northern Michigan would lose more than 2,000 jobs, $100 million in revenues, $50 million in payroll, and $1.5 million in 2- percent payments a year from Native American tribes, if the bills pass. A separate study also concluded that the City of Detroit would lose at least $40 million a year in tax revenue and at about 2,000 jobs.

The "Let Voters Decide - YES!" coalition also announced plans at the rally to put a constitutional amendment before voters on the November ballot. The amendment would give Michigan voters the power to decide future gambling expansions in the state. Ten other states have constitutional voting requirements for expanding gambling.

The amendment would not affect the expansion of current lottery games, Club Keno, bingo, Detroit's three casinos, which were approved by voters in 1996, and Native American casinos, which are controlled only by federal law.

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