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Soaring Eagle a Role Model for Ohio

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan – As reported by the Akron Beacon Journal: "Gauzy patches of morning mist skimmed along the surface of a man-made pond as Anne and Ron Hagadorn strode across a slowly filling casino parking lot, expectant looks on their faces.

``'This is our big thing. We go to all the casinos in Michigan,' said an excited Anne, adding that several times a year she and husband, Ron, who hail from Brooklyn, Mich., `pile into the truck and take off.'

"…This place is Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, a 10-year-old, multimillion-dollar gambling casino, four-diamond hotel and entertainment complex, owned and operated by the Saginaw Chippewa tribe that in 2003 netted an estimated $400 million in revenue from its various games of chance.

"And, if gaming interests in Ohio have their way, something like this place could very well be in nearby Lordstown, where a casino and resort complex -- patterned after Soaring Eagle -- has been proposed.

"`It would be a resort destination very similar to Soaring Eagle,' said Terry Casey, the Columbus consultant working with the Eastern Shawnee tribe to bring a casino and resort to Trumbull County. The Oklahoma-based tribe, with roots in Ohio, is lobbying Gov. Bob Taft and state lawmakers to allow casino gambling in the state.

"…First rate is what Soaring Eagle is all about.

"…Thomas, Soaring Eagle's communications manager, said the casino draws patrons from all across Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Canada.

"…Now the push is on to bring a Soaring Eagle-type facility to Ohio -- one of only 15 states that has not sanctioned casinos. Last Thursday a group of gambling proponents, representing a variety of interests from racetrack owners to charitable organizations, met for a second time in Columbus to discuss expanding gaming in the state…"

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