Blue Chip Casino, Michigan City, IN a Boyd's property, is in a media blitz this week on give-away, hourly drawings and incentives. (Not a common thang.) Just the drizzle before the Mother Of All Storms hits the area. Sometime soon after the first of the year the Pokagan Band of the Potowatomis will open their long delayed(by Boyd's intervention) casino in New Buffalo, Mi, a scant 10 miles away from the Blue Chip. the largest inland, trenched "boat", the largest lake/ river boat in the country. (Yeah, larger than the Casino "Boats" at Tunica) I'll take time this week/weekend to scrounge up the details, but here's a generic "Heads-UP" The intrique, politics, rivalries, forced delays in the seven years in the making of the opening of the Indian Casino is going to come to a head . An executive of the Blue Chip(Boyd's) resigned his position seven years ago to head a "Citizens against Indian Gaming," group. He was promised 5 MIL, yep, 5, if he could delay the implementation and opening of the Indian Casino for 5 years, giving Boyd's the opportunity to expand its presence in the area. As I stated previously he did and he did. Now, Blue Chip is the farthest East of the Indiana Lake Michigan "Boats." The other three, "Trump," "Magestic Star,"(Fitzgerald's),...next to each other.... Binion's ,are 30 minutes from downtown Chicago (without traffic.) Binion's is the closest. Blue Chip gets some action from Chicago, but with Joliet, Aurora and the Wisconsin sites easier and more accessable, most of Blue Chip action comesfrom the East and South in a 250 to 300 mile semi-radius. It's closer to Mt. Pleasant, MI and Detroit than to the Southern Indiana, Ohio River Boats,(Ceasar's, Beltarria, Argosy.) And other than Detroit's Greek Town(Harrah ha has,)MGM and the Windsor, CAN, locations, everything else in Michigan is Indian. I PROMISE to fill in the blanks on New Buffalo management and opening date. But, in preperation, YA'll. Pull up the Blue Chip location on this sites map. The Indian site in New Buffalo is East out of Michigan City on US 12 and north on 139. Or its exit 1 or 2 off of I-94from either East or West. One can fly into Chicago Ohare, rent a car for about a 90 mile trek(traffic!) or Midway for a 65 mile trek,(traffic.) Or fly into South Bend, IN on Delta, Northwest, or Continental with a one stop somewhere. Or United too, but that's a stop in Ohare,(why bother). From Las Vegas one can fly direct on Allegiant(Harrah ha has airline) everyday but Wednesday. It's a no hassle 30 minute drive from the airport to the Blue Chip or the Indian's pow wow. The Blue Chip has a large, comfortable, average hotel. The Indian Casino has a huge, don't know comfort level yet, hotel. All around Michigan City and South Bend and in between are the regular road motels. The opening of the Indian's against the Blue Chip will be fierce given the history,providing some of the best opportunities anyone who follows this or similiar sites has seen in some time. A note of caution: I have spoken out about Indian Casino's in the past in many regards. Just to add: I have a friend in the electrical supply biddness. He was submitted a list by the general contractor on the Indian New Buffalo site and responded to the contractor by saying none of it was OSHA or code acceptable. The contractor said "so what", it's an Indian Casino and is not accountable to OSHA or the National Electrical Code requirements. YOU don't have to stay there.
Wow, what choices! Jeez noman, you're really wound up about this. And so you should be. You are probably the only person from this site that will regularly visit these two casinos. Keep us posted if they go wild with promotions. However, I don't think BJ tournaments are in the cards. Talk to them, put in a word. By the way, don't hold your breath about out-of-towners flying in to visit these places. If I'm going to bother to get on a plane it's usually for something a whole lot more interesting. Anyway, like I said, keep us posted.
tool: I'll do my doodly doodly best, until I bust or rest. It ain't necessarily the BJ tourneys. It's all the other gobbldy gook that comes before dem. Some folks know, when der's a good game to be had, they'll have it. And, unless as usual, I'm wrong, I'm stating dis is gonna be one of the last Harahas and not Harah ha has. Der's bad blood and competition and market share and give aways and advantage games comin to "MICHIANA" unlike any seen before. "I stake my REPUTATION on it. Ha ha. More details as they are available. Or I get my drunk arse up and investigate.
More on Blue Chip/Indians: I know double posts are frowned upon. But here goes anyhows. AP wire story today Saturday December 30, 2006. In summery and condensed: Boyd's executives miffed and concerned that the Indiana Gaming Commission's interpertation of what a "Boat" is, is different than what the state legislature determined it to be when "gaming" was authorized in Indiana. Boyd's spent an extra 40 million for "sailing" security measures on their new boat, which includes a fire safe room, life boats, certification requirements by the coast guard, etc., since the original designation for the 'boats" came under coast guard regs. Even though they are in a ditch. But it did power up to move two feet, when Indiana's regs were for the "boat" to move, or sail, or whatever you want to say. Indiana retracted the "sailing" provision which allowed instant "boarding" and "departing" rather than two hour "cruises." And at the same time removed the coast gaurd from oversight. The current gaming commission, Binion's and whoever owns Argosy took that to mean they could build just "Barges," which can be in effect built as a land based facility, foregoing, "water requirements", which are more stringent. Both Binion's in NW Indiana on Lake Michigan and Argosy in Southern Indiana on the Ohio river are building new "facilities. In response to Boyd's complaint, the Binion's rep said. "That's just luck." And to previous post on Boyd's "Blue Chip." Now the Indians are coming. The Indians are coming. Damn, the Boyd family just can't win.
