Tribe seeking Michigan casino asks Indiana to void contract

The Dowagiac, Mich.-based tribe on Friday called on the Indiana Gaming Commission to void a consulting agreement between Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas, and Kevin Flynn, a former owner of Blue Chip Casino.

The tribe's lawyers made their request during a commission hearing to consider renewing the Michigan City casino's gaming license.

Tribal leaders allege that Flynn and Blue Chip have been working to block its plans for a land-based casino in southwestern Michigan.

The consulting pact was approved when Boyd Gaming Corp. purchased the Blue Chip riverboat from the Flynn family in 1999.

Under the contract, Flynn is being paid $500,000 annually. He will get a $5 million bonus if he can stop the tribe's proposed casino in New Buffalo, Mich., and any other competing American Indian casinos in Michigan from opening until June 2004.

If the consulting agreement were voided, Pokagon Tribal Chairman John Miller said he believes Flynn would not be able to fund opposition group Taxpayers of Michigan Against Casinos (TOMAC) in its long-running court battle to stop the Four Winds Casino.

Without money, the opposition could not pursue an appeal if a pending federal court ruling goes in favor the planned casino, he said.

"We believe we can successfully cut off the source of funding for the legal staff TOMAC has hired and stop the opposition," Miller said.

The New Buffalo area-based TOMAC has repeatedly denied any connection to Flynn or Blue Chip. TOMAC leadt now depends on a federal judge's ruling on whether another environmental impact study on the project is needed.

In asking that the contract be made void, tribal attorn?ed a 1999 decision by Illinois gaming officials to preliminarily deny lice.�venewal to a riverboat Flynn has a financial interest in.

Allegations that Flynn is tied to Chicago organized crime figures surfaced during the Illinois license renewal investigation, Champion said.

Boyd Gaming Corp. Senior Vice President Brian Larson said Flynn has not been declared unfit to hold a gaming license or been found to have committed any wrongdoing.

Indiana Gaming Commission Executive Director Jack Thar said no action on the consultant agreement will be taken until a final decision on the license renewal is made in Illinois.

"We have been monitoring what's been going on in Illinois on a continuous basis. What we do depends on what happens in Illinois," he said.