WSJM AM 1400

It looks like Benton Harbor won’t be getting a casino any time soon, as a statewide effort to get expanded gambling on the November ballot has failed. According to the Michigan Department of State, none of the groups that hoped to place a constitutional amendment or an initiative on the ballot were able to collect enough petition signatures before Monday’s deadline. That includes Michigan Is Yours, which had sought voter approval to open several new casinos.

This week, a coalition made up of law enforcement, state lawmakers, and various anti-gambling groups launched a campaign to oppose a ballot initiative that would allow the creation of several new casinos in Michigan — including one in Benton Harbor. A group called Michigan Is Yours is behind the plan to open seven new casinos, and needs about 386-thousand signatures on its petitions to get the matter before voters in November. Benton Harbor Mayor Wilce Cooke is a supporter of the idea, and has said that the possibility of opening a casino locally would be at least worth studying.