Tribe appeals Vanderbilt casino closing

VANDERBILT, Mich. (AP) - The Bay Mills Indian Community says it has appealed a federal judge's order that forced the closing of its casino in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula.

Judge Paul Maloney granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday while he decides if the Vanderbilt casino is operating illegally. The tribe then closed it.

The casino opened in November and is located about 125 miles south of the Bay Mills reservation in the Upper Peninsula.

The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians operates a casino about 30 miles away in Petoskey. The group sued last year, saying the Vanderbilt casino is illegal because it's not located on Indian land.

The Bay Mills group said Thursday that it purchased the site for the Vanderbilt casino using funds from its land trust, making it Indian land.