United Tribes ) Michigan - Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

• Lottery Bureau records show Millionaire Parties are being held at bowling allies, pool
halls, bars, restaurants, horse racetracks (Northville Downs has its own Millionaire
Parties facility now), union halls, churches, public schools, and other venues large
enough to accommodate several dozen people, table games and chairs.
• The parties are held nearly every night of the week and in nearly all 83 Michigan
counties. A search of Lottery Bureau records shows that six or more parties can be found
on any given night in the larger population counties.
Based on recent meetings between all the casinos, below is a brief explanation of our legal and
public relations next steps:
• We are in the process of filing a Freedom of Information request with the Lottery
Bureau's Charitable Gaming Division to better understand the revenue numbers and to
examine all of the documents (license applications, post-party reports, supplier
information, etc) filed by the operators and charities. This will involve inspecting revenue
reporting documents and identifying common gaming locations. We are also checking the
backgrounds of the companies that run these games by examining articles of
incorporation and annual reports filed at the state Corporations and Securities Bureau.
• We are working to identify some groups and people (not connected to the casinos) who
could be public messengers on the issue. We know certain mayors, city councils, antigambling
organizations, state lawmakers and others have already expressed public
concerns about the growth in this unregulated gambling.
• We know a circuit court judge in Ingham County who says she is seeing a spike in
criminal reports on the nights Millionaire Parties are being held at one venue in Lansing.
We intend to track down the reports to determine what types of crimes are being
investigated and prosecuted.
• The coalition would like to conduct a public opinion poll to determine voter sentiment on
the growth of charitable gaming. Based on past survey research, we expect voters to
express concern about the fact that 18-year-olds can play at Millionaire Parties, there is
little to no regulation of the operators and suppliers, there is no on-site policing of games
by any state or local agency, the games pay no taxes, and more.
• Legislation is being developed to address some of the regulatory concerns. Five to six
new public policies likely will be proposed.
• On March 26, Roger Martin and a representative of MotorCity are attending a "free"
training conducted by the Lottery for people who want to learn how to run Millionaire
Parties.
• We are developing key messages for if and when the casinos are contacted for comment
about the expansion of charitable gaming.
• We know some members of the news media are interested in following developments
related to this issue. At the right time, we will put those reporters in touch with legislators
and others who can discuss the concerns and proposed solutions.
• We are meeting next in a couple of weeks, after we know more from our FOIA request,
after we attend the Millionaire Party training, and after the lobbyists have discussed
possible legislation with supporters in the Capitol.
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