HEDGING THEIR BETS

By VIVECA NOVAK; MICHAEL WEISSKOPF; MELISSA AUGUST

The Sault Ste. Marie Chippewas, a Michigan tribe rich from casino revenues, know something about spreading their bets around the table. After G.O.P. Governor John Engler trumped their plans to build a casino in downtown Detroit, they gave $100,000 to the national Democratic Party in early '96. That helped win the attention of then deputy White House chief of staff Harold Ickes, whom they pressed to get the Interior Department to back their casino proposal. Actually, the tribe gave the President's party almost four times that much. But to avoid further angering Engler, who was already furious about their support for Michigan Democrats in 1994, they routed most of it to state Democratic parties across the country, where Engler would be unlikely to see it. At the same time, they made an $80,000 donation to Engler's Michigan G.O.P.--and none to their home-state Democratic Party. Though Interior nixed their casino bid, the department is still weighing their request to add hundreds of tax-free acres to their sovereign territory. Tribal spokesman John Hatch said the money wasn't intended to influence policy: "We're proud that we're able to help those who help us."

--By Viveca Novak, Michael Weisskopf and Melissa August