The Menominee Indian Tribe has offered to bring the Forest County Potawatomi in on a proposed Kenosha casino in hopes of getting the Potawatomi to support the project.
Last week, the Bureau of Indian Management gave its approval of the Menominee application to build an entertainment center and casino at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park. 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.
The Potawatomi have opposed a Menominee casino in Kenosha, maintaining it would reduce revenue at its casino in Milwaukee.
The Menominee have been trying to open a casino at that location since the 1990s.
Menominee Tribal Chairman Craig Corn Tuesday confirmed a report in the Business Journal that the tribe has offered to partner with the Potawatomi on the project.
According to a letter sent from Corn to Potawatomi Tribal Chairman Gus Frank on Monday, the Menominee are offering to make the Potawatomi the developer and manager of the proposed $800 million casino.
Corn said the Business Journal report is accurate, but he also said it’s not the first time such an offer has been made.
Similar offers over the years have been made by three previous Menominee tribal chairs. Some previous administrations made the offer more than once, he said.
“This is one of seven times we’ve entertained the idea of bringing them on in some capacity,” Corn said.
Corn said the letter sent Monday was his second attempt to strike a deal with the Potawatomi.
“They’ve never given us a reply,” Corn said.
Still, Corn said, he is hopeful things will be different this time.
There were some things added to the newest offer, according to Corn, including giving the Potawatomi the chance to lease gaming machines and the ability to obtain development rights that would give the Potawatomi the ability to build complementary facilities at the site.
“I look forward to hearing back from them and moving forward,” he said.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford issued a statement dismissing the Menominee offer and calling it a “gimmick” aimed at garnering media attention.
Corn said the casino would result in the creation of 3,300 good-paying jobs in Wisconsin and more than $35 million in new state revenue each year. The project would also result in more than $19 million annually for local governments and schools, he said.
The Associated Press reported Potawatomi lobbyist Ken Walsh said the Menominee’s economic predictions are gross exaggerations and Wisconsin’s casino market is saturated. The 11 tribes already run 25 gambling facilities statewide, according to the state Department of Administration.
“The case that this will produce new jobs in Wisconsin simply … is not true,” Walsh said.
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