 |
 Gaming Commission
|
The Commission Staff |
The Commissioners |
John A. Bussey, Executive Director
Phone: (906) 353-4225 |
Michael Duschene, Chairman
Phone: (906) 353-4222 |
Brandy Chosa, Secretary/Receptionist
Phone: (906) 353-4222 |
Dale J. Shalifoe, Vice-Chairman
Phone: (906) 353-4222 |
Michael Cardinal, Compliance Officer
Phone: (906) 353-4116 |
James Rasanen, Secretary
Phone: (906) 353-4222 |
Susan Lawrence, Background Investigator/License Cordinator
Phone: (906) 353-4221 |
|
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Gaming Commission mission is to protect the assets of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
by ensuring that adequate internal controls are in place and conformed to; ensure the conduct of fair and honest gaming;
protect the integrity of gaming; and regulate all forms of permissible and authorized gaming within the jurisdiction of
the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
|
History
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community takes great pride in the fact that Indian Casino Gaming began on our Reservation.
In 1982 the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council issued a license to open a casino to Tribal member Fred Dakota. On December
31, 1982 Mr. Dakota opened his casino on our Reservation. After many legal battles Mr. Dakota was forced to close his Casino but
his effort allowed the Tribal Council to open a Tribal Casino in 1984. Other Tribes followed and Tribal Casino Gaming spread across
the country. Thanks to the foresight and leadership of members of our Community, Indian Casino Gaming today is a 20 Billion Dollar
industry that provides jobs, resources, and educational opportunities for Native American people across the United States.
The Community had been successfully operating and self-regulating their gaming for several years prior to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)
being passed into law. Once IGRA was passed in 1988, the Tribe worked together with other Michigan Tribes in negotiating a Compact with the State
of Michigan and developed a Tribal Gaming Ordinance. The Tribe adopted the Minimum Internal Control Standards of the National Indian Gaming
Commission, developed their own Tribal Internal Control Standards, and a complete Written Internal Control System.
The Tribal Council operated as the Gaming Commission under the Tribal Gaming Ordinance making sure that all laws were followed and fair and
honest games were maintained. In 2006 the Council passed a Gaming Commission Ordinance that allowed for a Gaming Commission independent of the
tribal Council. A new Gaming Regulatory Ordinance was also passed at that time. On July 13, 2006 the Tribal Council appointed three new
Gaming Commissioners to three year terms. The three new Commissioners came on board August 1, 2006 and were put into intensive training
for a two month period including a Gaming Commissioner Certification training put on by the National Indian Gaming Association.
On October 1, 2006 the new Certified Commissioners took office. |
What We Do
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Gaming Commission is in place to protect the integrity of Gaming and to enforce the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, The Tribal-State Compact, and the KBIC Gaming Regulatory Ordinance. The Commission
is the enforcement agency and regulatory authority for the Tribal Government of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and is
responsible for the regulation of Tribal gaming. The Commission is responsible for monitoring, detection, enforcing, and
investigating all gaming violations of the Written Internal Control System, Tribal/State Compact requirements, the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act and the Tribal Gaming Ordinance. The Commission completes background investigations on employees and
vendors to the Casinos and promulgates regulations to protect the assets of the Tribe and insure the integrity of all games.
It is also important to note that the Gaming Commission is also responsible to make sure that the profits from gaming are distributed properly. Eight
percent of slot machine gaming profits from the Ojibwa Casino in Marquette and the Ojibwa Casino in Baraga are sent to the state of Michigan. Two
percent of the slot machine gaming profits from the two casinos are sent to help support local governments. The remaining
profits are spent supporting government programs of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community such as health, housing, and social service
programs to assist the membership of the Community.
The KBIC Gaming Commission is responsible for all Tribal and Non-Tribal gaming within the jurisdictional area of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
The two Tribal Casinos that fall within this jurisdiction are the Ojibwa Casino, 16449 Michigan Avenue, Baraga, Michigan 49908
and the Ojibwa Casino Marquette, 105 Acre Trail, Marquette, Michigan 49855.
|
|
|
