The Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin is teaming up with Hard Rock International in a bid to open a casino complex in the city of Kenosha, officials announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes a day after the Village of Bristol approved a $15 million sale of land to Hard Rock.
Through a statement, Menominee Tribal Chairman Ronald J. Corn confirmed the ongoing speculation that the Keshena-based tribe would be pursuing the development in collaboration with Hard Rock. Both parties are seeking to open a casino on about 60 acres of land located at the east and west sides of 122nd Avenue in Kenosha.
This is not the first time the Menominees and Hard Rock team up with the intention to build a venue in Kenosha, a city that has long been seen as an attractive market due to its proximity to Milwaukee and Chicago. Both parties linked up in 2015, with a project that secured approval from the City of Kenosha, the County of Kenosha, the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Department of the Interior. However, the effort failed after then Gov. Scott Walker vetoed the bid.
This time around, both parties would have to earn Gov. Tony Evers’ approval. The governor’s office is thus far noncommittal towards plans to bring a Hard Rock casino to Kenosha, a spokesperson said Thursday afternoon. The spokesperson said they would give “due consideration” to any proposals by the Menominee tribe, but that they had not been presented yet with a specific plan for the casino, according to Kenosha News. The person added Evers would not make a decision until he had consulted “with the local communities affected and the relevant Native American tribes.”
This new attempt to bring casino gambling to Kenosha is expected to face vigorous opposition from the Forest County Potawatomi, which owns an off-reservation casino in Milwaukee. The tribe led an intense lobbying campaign at the time to kill the 2015 bid, and might seek to replicate that strategy this time around in an effort to protect their profitable gaming business.
At least that’s what the Potawatomi’s latest statement would seem to indicate. “The Potawatomi are opposed to a Florida tribe – with no connections to Wisconsin – coming to the state to open a new casino,” officials wrote. “Make no mistake, this proposal is being driven by the Florida Seminole Tribe and they will take millions of dollars from Wisconsin back to Florida.”
Hard Rock’s renewed partnership with the Menominees marks a natural move, and a necessary one for the heavyweight brand, given only Wisconsin tribes are allowed to own casinos in the state. Under the proposed plans, the Menominee tribe would be the owner of the casino and related facilities, while Hard Rock would be the developer and manager of the project.
“Hard Rock has a long-standing partnership with the Menominee Tribe and is proud to support them in their continued efforts to bring a world-class gaming and entertainment resort to the Kenosha community,” said Hard Rock International COO Jon Lucas in a statement.
Menominee’s Ronald J. Corn added that the revived effort is aimed at providing necessary resources for the needs of the tribe’s members. “Much has changed since our 2015 effort, but the needs of our tribe and its members have continued and in some cases grown more acute,” Corn said. The Menominee is ranked as one of the largest and poorest tribes in Wisconsin.
“We need to make greater investments into health care for our children and elders; we need to make more investments into educating our young people; and we need to do more to reduce the high levels of poverty, hunger, and unemployment on our reservation,” the Tribal Chairman noted. “A casino and entertainment center in the City of Kenosha is the best path for our tribe to obtain the resources to help achieve those important goals.”
The acres Hard Rock has acquired for the proposed Kenosha casino
While the Menominee’s goal is the same from 2015, the tribe said the project itself has been modified. The casino plan has been downsized to reflect the “increased number of gaming facilities in both Wisconsin and northern Illinois.”
“The proposed project will not be as big as it was previously envisioned, but it will still create jobs and be substantial,” Corn added. “It will still be a Hard Rock brand and be an incredible addition to the community, the local and regional economy, and the state.”
The tribe is also seeking to provide more resources for its people through sports betting. Corn told NBC26 that after Oneida Nation began sports gaming last year, they also began discussions with the state. “We are currently negotiating with the state for sports betting in the casino that we have on the reservation,” Corn confirmed.
Because the Menominees and Hard Rock are seeking to develop their venue at a different site than in 2015 -previous plans called for the casino to be built at the site of the former Dairyland dog track-, Corn explained the project will have to develop a revised federal gaming application, as well as negotiate updated intergovernmental agreements.
Hard Rock has already secured an option on the proposed new site. While the location is in Kenosha, it is owned by the Village of Bristol because of a boundary agreement, which approved the transaction in a unanimous decision on Tuesday night. However, Hard Rock and the Menominee Tribe would still need to secure final approval from the City of Kenosha. Mayor John Antaramian and Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman have both thus far voiced their general support for the project pending further review, according to local media.
The Kenosha area already has two casinos close by, in Milwaukee and a new one right over the border in Waukegan, Illinois. Additionally, Hard Rock also owns a casino in Rockford, Illinois; and the Ho-Chunk tribe plans to open an off-reservation casino in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/07/21/63532-hard-rock-and-menominee-tribe-team-up-again-in-renewed-bid-for-a-kenosha-casino-in-wisconsin
