Wisconsin tribes wait on off-reservation casino

Wednesday, November 11, 2009  

Three tribes are vying for an off-reservation casino at the same location in Beloit, Wisconsin.

The St. Croix Chippewa Tribe and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians have been trying to build a casino for a decade. The Beloit Casino Project came to a halt when the Bush administration rejected it in January of this year.

The tribes are now asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to rescind the Bush-era gaming policies. The court canceled a hearing that was scheduled for this Friday and will instead decide the case on the briefs.

Meanwhile, the Ho-Chunk Nation purchased the land where the Bad River and St. Croix tribes wanted to build the casino. The Ho-Chunks are also interested in a casino and might work with the other tribes.

"We're just exploring options at this point. We're not ruling out anything in terms of a partnership possibility," Ho-Chunk Vice President Dan Brown told WIFR-TV.

Elsewhere in Wisconsin, the Menominee Nation was seeking to convert the Dairyland Greyhound Park into a casino. The project was also rejected by the Bush administration.

The Menominees have filed a lawsuit to overturn the decision. But without a viable future, the track is closing down at the end of the year.

Get the Story:
Future Indian Casino? (WIFR-TV 11/10)
Dairyland Greyhound Park calling it quits Dec. 31 (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 11/11)
Dairyland Greyhound Park to close (The BizTimes Daily 11/11)
Deadline looms for Menominee (The Kenosha News 11/9)