Kenosha, WI – The Menominee Tribe’s 2023 economic impact study for its proposed Kenosha casino failed to account for the Ho-Chunk Nation’s Beloit Casino, set to open October 23, 2026, as Wisconsin’s second-largest casino. It will feature approximately 1,300 slot machines and 40 table games, operate 24/7, and compete for the same southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois market, with a hotel and conference center planned for fall 2027.
On page 31 of their study, the Tribe’s consultants stated that the only Wisconsin casino within a one-hour drive of the Kenosha site is Potawatomi in Milwaukee. They dismissed other proposed southern Wisconsin casinos as uncertain and unlikely to open before Kenosha. The now-operating Ho-Chunk Beloit Casino was not factored into the competitive analysis.
“The Tribe’s own study is already outdated and incomplete,” said Lorri Pickens, Executive Director of Citizens Against Expanded Gambling (CAEG). “By ignoring a major casino that has opened in Beloit, the study overstates the amount of new gaming revenue and economic impact the Kenosha project can realistically capture.”
CAEG has previously identified multiple significant gaps in the Tribe’s supporting studies and environmental review. These include:
1. Failure to account for the open Ho-Chunk Beloit Casino and the Hard Rock Rockford Casino targeting the same market.
2. Failure to account for Wisconsin’s legalization of tribal online sports betting.
3. Reliance on economic models now more than two years old.
4. Environmental Assessment claims of no significant impact, followed by a last-minute removal of a 10.55-acre parcel citing stormwater concerns.
5. Inadequate analysis of traffic and neighborhood impacts from a 24-hour casino operation.
“These repeated omissions and last-minute changes show the current analysis cannot be trusted. Federal officials must require a full, updated economic and environmental review that reflects today’s market before any further decisions are made on this project,” said Pickens.
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