News

Long-time MIGA lobbyist Andy Kozak, who worked closely with Chairman Stan Crooks for more than twenty years, posted this comment and photo on his Facebook page yesterday. It is a heartfelt tribute, and one that expresses what many who worked with Stan Crooks are feeling today. (more…)

U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) issued the following statement yesterday on the death of Chairman Stanley Crooks: (more…)

Minnesota Indian tribes are mourning the loss of Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA) Chairman Stanley Crooks, who passed away today at St. Francis Medical Center in Shakopee, MN.

Crooks, 70, had led MIGA since 1992, shortly after being elected to his first term as chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. He brought unprecedented stability and continuity to his tribe and MIGA during more than two decades of service.
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In a rare TV interview last week, Chairman Stanley Crooks of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) told TPT “Almanac” reporter Mary LaHammer that he and Canterbury Park President Randy Sampson reached their historic joint marketing agreement after “a great conversation” that lasted only two hours. “The handlers took it from there,” he said.
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Mystic Lake Casino, an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewkanton Sioux Community (SMSC), has entered into a long-term joint marketing agreement with Canterbury Park that takes racinos off the table for ten years, fostering growth at both properties and preserving rural jobs in gaming and the horse industry.

The agreement was described by Canterbury Park President and CEO Randy Sampson as “a milestone that will mark the rebound of Minnesota horse racing and our local equine industry.” Under its terms, Mystic Lake will contribute $75 million over ten years to enhance purses at the track, and another $8.5 million over that period to fund joint marketing efforts. In exchange, Canterbury Park will no longer pursue legislation authorizing racinos in Minnesota, and will join forces with SMSC to defeat other proposals for gambling expansion that could hurt both businesses. Other joint promotional efforts will be developed as well. (more…)

A racino bill passed by the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on March 30 may be dead for the 2012 session, according to yesterday’s edition of “Hot Dish Politics,” a political blog written by Star-Tribune reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger. (more…)

A statement issued today by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA) says the White Earth Band of Ojibwe’s offer to partner with the State of Minnesota on a casino to benefit the Minnesota Vikings is “misguided,” and contrary to long-term tribal interests. Here is the full text of the statement: (more…)

Calling a recent Minneapolis Star-Tribune article about Indian gaming regulation a “superficial analysis” that “omitted key facts,” Prairie Island Indian Community President Johnny Johnson took the newspaper to task in an opinion column published today. The complete text of the piece follows:
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The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has responded to a recent story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune claiming that lax state regulation means its casinos have been unregulated. Here is the complete text of the tribe’s response. (more…)