Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley paid approximately $5.6 million for utilities in 2010. Local utilities have increased their power output to accommodate the casinos’ electrical needs. Local hospitals have expanded, in part because Grand Casino Mille Lacs provides health insurance benefits to area residents who may not have had insurance before. Since the casinos opened, jobs have increased by 35 percent in Mille Lacs County and 72 percent in Pine County. Neighboring local businesses have created many new jobs in response to increased visitor traffic created by Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley and increased spending by casino employees. The Mille Lacs Band supports local small businesses, with a majority of the vendors and local contractors located in East Central Minnesota.
The Band is also a significant provider of health insurance and other benefits to people in the region. More than 90 percent of employees live in surrounding communities. In addition to 3,400 corporate employees, the Band’s government employs approximately 700 people full-time.
