Opposition to major Ho-Chunk Nation casino project in Beloit
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BELOIT (WKOW) -- The Ho-Chunk Nation is building a $405 million casino in Beloit, Wisconsin near the Illinois border, after decades of planning.
"It's been a long time," said Ryan Greendeer, public relations officer for the Legislative branch of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
This new casino -- Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit -- has been in the works since the late 1990s. Tribal leaders say they're finally close to breaking ground, with vertical construction likely to start in the next year.
The casino will feature 2,200 slot machines and 50 table games. There will also be a 300-room hotel, convention center, and an indoor water park.
"This casino and resort development is expected to create approximately 1,300 jobs for the greater Beloit community, said Sarah Lock, Director of Strategic Communications for the City of Beloit.
It could mean a huge economic boost for Beloit.
"The city and the county will be able to split 2% of the net wins from the Ho-Chunk Nation. We anticipate that that could be in the millions per year but that will remain to be seen as the casino is constructed and fully operational," said Lock.
This casino is expected to bring in big revenue and lots of jobs for the city but not everyone's excited.
The gaming facility will be just 20 miles north of the Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, Illinois, which opponents caution may be one casino too many.
"We have 25 casinos here in Wisconsin already. It's an oversaturated market," said Lorri Pickens with Citizens Against Expanded Gambling.
Pickens also said the proximity of these casinos pits them against each other. Tribal members disagree.
"We think that there'll be complementary to each other. We're looking at different demographics," said Greendeer.
"I really highly doubt that they build the $405 million structure," said Pickens.
Pickens doesn't believe this development will be lucrative for Beloit because she expects this casino will be scaled back.
"You'll see more of a boutique type of casino, I doubt there's a convention center with that or any of those other luxury items that they have proposed," said Pickens.
"We don't have any plans to scale those back, perhaps we'll see a different way of like furnishing them," said Greendeer.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is working to put the land the casino will be built on into a trust. After that process, tribal officials said they can start working with the city for a groundbreaking date.
