FIREKEEPERS ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS RELEASED
Examines 10-Year Social and Economic Impact
(Battle Creek, MI) May 21, 2020 – In December 2019, the FireKeepers Local Revenue Sharing Board received the Socioeconomic Indicators and Economic Impact Analysis of FireKeepers Casino and Hotel. The Board engaged the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo to complete this study in accordance with a long-standing commitment. The promise was to update the economic and social indicators within Calhoun County identified in an initial 2008 Upjohn Study as possibly being impacted by the development of the FireKeepers Casino and Hotel.
The complete report is available here.
“NHBP is pleased to see that the results from the impact analysis reinforce what the Tribe always believed the impact of FireKeepers Casino Hotel would be on our community,” NHBP Tribal Council Chairperson Jamie Stuck said. “The report clearly shows both the economic and societal benefits that FireKeepers has had on the City of Battle Creek, Calhoun County and the surrounding region.”
The socioeconomic indicators examined by the Upjohn Institute include economic opportunity, crime offenses, financial impact, and family and children.
Upjohn Institute estimates that in 2018, 2,426 jobs were added to the labor market due to people from outside of the county patronizing and spending money on services at the casino. These are public and private sector jobs, including direct employment by FireKeepers and also jobs created from the need for others (for example, grocers, accountants, and dry cleaners) to supply goods and services to workers at FireKeepers. FireKeepers represents slightly more than 4% of all county employment.
The report found that gaming adds almost $250M in additional sales in Calhoun County, along with $21M in personal income. Combined, gaming and non-gaming activities, sales in Calhoun County were $443M higher due to activities of patrons and the facility, and personal income rose by $65M.
Within the social indicators, Upjohn concluded that both Emmett Township, where the Casino Hotel is located, and the County are doing just as well and in some cases better now, both when compared to the baseline year of 2008 and when measured against our comparison counties. These indicators included crime activity, bankruptcy filings, senior assistance requests and divorce rates and domestic violence reports, among others.
###FireKeepers Casino Hotel, located just off Interstate 94 at Exit 104 in Battle Creek, MI, has been named Best Casino by audiences in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana, plus earned multiple awards in the Casino Player Magazine Best of Gaming 2019 Native Midwest category, including Best Casino. FireKeepers was recognized as 2019 Employer of the Year by Michigan Works! Association and was also selected as one of the Best Casinos to Work For by Casino Player Magazine. FireKeepers' signature restaurant, Nibi, is a multiple recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The property features 2,900 slot machines, 70 table games, a live poker room, and bingo room. FireKeepers offers a AAA-rated Four Diamond resort-style hotel with 243 rooms, a functional multi-purpose event center, six distinctive dining destinations, and multiple lounges. Driven by high demand, construction on a second hotel tower is underway. FireKeepers is the title sponsor of the FireKeepers Casino 400, a NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, and a host of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship a Symetra Tour-Road to the LPGA golf event. For more information, visit www.firekeeperscasino.com.
FireKeepers Casino Hotel is owned and operated by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
