FireKeepers Casino has kept its promise to spend locally, reports the Battle Creek Enquirer.
About 40 percent of FireKeepers' spending happens within a roughly 60-mile radius of the Emmett Township casino, according to the newspaper's analysis of spending data provided by the casino.
Excerpt:
FireKeepers spent nearly $12.8 million on supplies between its August opening and late-April, according to the documents.
About 22 percent of that $12.8 million was spent in nearby counties, including $2.5 million, or about 20 percent of the casino's total spending, in Calhoun County.
FireKeepers spent about $1.94 million in Battle Creek, according to the documents.
The story goes on to say a big, positive impact on the local economy was one of the casino's biggest selling points to critics before it opened.
And $2.5 million could be a big, positive impact for Calhoun County, said George Erickcek, a senior analyst with Kalamazoo's W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research who is studying FireKeepers' impact on Calhoun County.
While FireKeepers could be tough competition for existing restaurants, the casino is spending the kind of money that could allow the beneficiaries of that spending to add jobs, Erickcek said.
For a further breakdown on the casino's spending, read the
entire story.
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer
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