The Prairie Island Indian Community of Minnesota may be planning to open a casino on property, after seeking federal trust status for a specific acreage owned by the tribe. The tribe recently began seeking federal status for land owned in Minnesota, located near Lake Elmo. The trust status would be for 112 acres of land located along Interstate 94 that the tribe purchased from the West Lakeland Township.
With the designation, the tribe would be able to provide Indian-built businesses that are not affected by the tax or local zoning laws. Officials of the tribe have stated they do not have any development plans at the moment. The community already has a casino venue on Indian land, known as the Treasure Island Resort and Casino, an area that has been reported by the tribe as under threat due to contamination by the nuclear power plant. The venue is also at risk for flooding as the land is located on a flood plain.
The threats to the current casino might mean the tribe is hoping to build another venue on land that is not contaminated as well as not a flood risk.