RED LAKE, Minn. - A ban on alcohol at two of Red Lake's Seven Clans Casinos could be lifted pending the outcome of a mandatory referendum vote on Aug. 19.
Red Lake Tribal Secretary Donald Cook Sr. has announced members of the Red Lake Nation will be voting on the sale of alcoholic beverages at the Thief River Falls and Warroad casino locations.
Band members will be voting on each property separately. The tribal council voted unanimously to put the vote to the people, Cook said in an interview Wednesday. Whether alcohol will be permitted as both on- and off-sale will be determined after the vote comes back to the council in August.
"When people are gambling or when they go out, they want to have a drink with their meal," Cook said.
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Cook, who is in favor of approving alcohol sale at both casinos, stressed alcohol will not be allowed on the reservation or the casino in Red Lake, only at the other casino properties. He said it's a "win-win" for the tribe as proceeds from alcohol sales will help with operation costs at the casinos.
