Published: 8/26/2012

Casino expansion gets win

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LANSING — The Michigan Supreme Court has unanimously overturned a decision that had killed a November vote to bring more casinos to the state.

Friday's ruling does not automatically put the question on the Nov. 6 ballot, but it is a major victory for casino expansion backers and a defeat for owners of existing casinos, including American Indian tribes.

The Board of State Canvassers is to consider the issue Monday. In June, a group called Citizens for More Michigan Jobs turned in enough signatures to seek a constitutional amendment that would allow a fourth casino in Detroit and seven more across the state.

Last week the Michigan appeals court said the petition was fatally flawed because it failed to show voters exactly how the referendum would change the existing casino law.

The Supreme Court said the appeals court used the wrong legal standard for judging proposed amendments to the Constitution.

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