A group wants to bring seven new casinos to Michigan. One of them would be in Saginaw.
The group is called "Michigan Is Yours" and wants to put it on the November ballot.
From Romulus, the group kicked off its campaign Thursday to bring seven new casinos to Michigan.
Saginaw City Council member Andrew Wendt convinced the group to add Saginaw to the list of casino locations.
"Now we have a chance to put in our hands our destiny in terms of what are we going to do, how are we going to diversify our economy," says Wendt.
He says Saginaw has plenty of open land and closed factory sites that could serve as a casino location.
The group needs 380,000 signatures to get it on the November ballot.
It wants to collect more than 400,000 in case some signatures are thrown out.
"We're focusing on bringing jobs into Saginaw and the Great Lakes Bay Region. That's the most important thing," says Wendt.
Opponents say jobs do not justify casinos and that they do more harm than good.
James Muffett, President of Citizens for Traditional Values says, "It's not going to work. The more (casinos) you have, the more bankruptcies you have, the more broken families you have, the more crime you have. There's just so many things associated with them."
Supporters admit casinos come with problems, but they say it's a decision the public will have to make.
"The people in Michigan, the people of Saginaw and the Great Lakes Bay Region get a say in this of whether they want more casinos built in their communities and state," says Wendt.
Opponents say casinos don't make moral sense or economic sense.
"It's just crazy. You can't gamble your way to prosperity," says Muffett.
Currently, Michigan has 23 casinos.
Opponents say that's already too many and that they aren't helping the unemployment rate.
Supporters say a portion of the casinos profits will go to Michigan tourism and to fund college scholarships.
In addition to Saginaw, the plans are to put casinos in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Romulus, Benton Harbor and Mount Clemens.
