The Menominee Indian Tribe scored a significant victory Friday toward its longtime goal of opening a casino in Kenosha, leaving it up to the governor to decide whether that dream will come true.
The Bureau of Indian Management gave its approval of the tribe’s application to build an entertainment center and casino at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park.
The tribe has been trying to open a casino at that location since the 1990s.
A similar proposal was rejected several years ago by the BIA under the George W. Bush administration.
“We got a different administration and we got a different look at the project,” Tribal Chairman Craig Corn said.
Corn said the casino would mean more than 3,300 new jobs and more than $35 million in annual new revenue for Wisconsin, along with new revenue for local governments and school districts and an economically self-sufficient future for a very poor Wisconsin tribe.
“Today is a great day for everyone who cares about jobs and economic success for Wisconsin,” Corn said. “We applaud the BIA approval, we applaud the hard work of so many across the state who have supported this project for so long, and we are optimistic about the future.”
But the tribe must still win approval from Gov. Scott Walker, who has said he would only approve an Indian casino if all of the state’s 11 tribes agreed.
Walker reiterated that stance Friday in a statement issued after the BIA decision.
“Given the approval by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs for the proposed Menominee casino, we will move forward with evaluating this casino using the criteria previously laid out by my administration,” Walker said. “The three criteria are: no new net gaming, community support and consensus among the 11 sovereign nations.”
The Forest County Potawatomi, owners of a casino in Milwaukee, have opposed the Menominee casino.
The Potawatomi tribe issued a statement Friday condemning the BIA decision, which the tribe said changed the standards for off-reservation gaming applications.
“The Forest County Potawatomi Community remains steadfast in opposition to this Kenosha casino application. Kenosha is squarely within federally recognized ceded territory of the Potawatomi,” said Jeff Crawford, Forest County Potawatomi community attorney general.
The statement also claimed the Kenosha casino application “has been plagued with scandal and controversy and will result in sending tens of millions to out of state interests at the expense of Milwaukee.”
Crawford said the tribe would take legal action if the governor approves the casino.
Corn said he was anticipating that the Potawatomi tribe would increase its attacks and multi-million dollar lobbying effort against the project.
“The Potawatomi have shown they’ll do, say and spend anything to keep their monopoly,” Corn said.
Walker’s statement that all 11 tribes must support the project essentially gives any one tribe veto power.
However, Corn said, he is hoping the governor will put greater weight on the economic impact the casino could have.
“Governor Walker’s approval will push Wisconsin closer to his goal of 250,000 new jobs, promote free market competition and consumer choice, and demonstrate the Badger State is open for business,” Corn said. “That message is even more important now, given recent news that our state is falling far behind the rest of the nation in job growth.”
Corn said the project has support from eight of the state’s 11 tribes.
In addition, he said, the Oneida tribe is neutral and the Ho Chunk tribe has passed a resolution stating they would be unopposed to any project that was at least 65 miles away from their casinos.
“That leaves only one tribe opposed,” Corn said.
Walker said in his statement that the next step would be a 60-day comment-gathering period for the tribes.
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