Menominee Nation wins approval for off-reservation casino

Artist's rendering of the proposed Menominee Nation off-reservation casino. Image from Casino Kenosha

The Menominee Nation of Wisconsin has won federal approval of its off-reservation casino.

The tribe plans to build a $800 million casino in Kenosha, about 200 miles from the reservation. The project enjoys strong local support.

"The federal decision tees up 3,300-plus new, good-paying jobs for Wisconsin; more than $35 million in new state revenue annually; more than $19 million in new annual revenue for local governments and schools; and an economically self-sufficient future for a very poor Wisconsin tribe," Chairman Craig Corn said in a statement.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the casino under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The decision came more than a year after the environmental impact statement for the project was published.

“After an extensive review of the tribe’s gaming application it was determined that the application satisfies the rigorous standards contained in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,” Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn said in a press release. “The tribe demonstrated that it had an unmet need for economic development to supplement their tribal government services to their members, and a historical connection to the Kenosha area.”

The two-part determination provisions of IGRA require approval of an off-reservation casino by the state governor. The Menominee Nation hopes to meet Gov. Scott Walker to discuss the project.

Walker, however, has expressed concerns about the casino. He said would make a decision after consulting all of the tribes in the state.

"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 in a press release "The three criteria are: no new net gaming, community support, and consensus among the 11 sovereign nations."

Walker's insistence on getting approval of the other tribes poses a big hurdle for the Menominee Nation. The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, which operates an off-reservation casino in Milwaukee, about 40 miles from Kenosha, opposes the new facility.

"We were friends with the Potawatomi for many years. They've let money get between us," Menominee Nation Vice Chair Lisa Waukau told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe has seen a drop in revenues at its Milwaukee casino, independent of the proposed Menominee project.