Beloit casino groundbreaking ceremony set

BELOIT — Shovels will hit the ground on Oct. 25 to mark the first phase of construction on the Ho-Chunk Casino project in Beloit.

A ground-breaking ceremony has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25 at the casino and hotel development site near the intersection of Willowbrook and Colley roads, according to Ho-Chunk Nation consultant Collin Price.

“We expect to begin site work that week,” Price said about when construction would begin following the ground-breaking.

He said the Ho-Chunk Nation still is working with the city to ensure all requirements for the construction project are complete.

Price said Ho-Chunk officials and city officials will be at the ground-breaking and state officials have been invited to attend.

“We should have a pretty good crowd,” Price said.

Once work begins, the construction is expected to take 18 months, Price said. Estimates are that the construction project could employ up to 3,000 people.

“We are thrilled that this project is getting across the finish line,” said Beloit City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos. “This development will be a game-changer for the City of Beloit. Many thanks to the Ho-Chunk for their investment in our community and bringing this project to fruition. The casino, hotel and convention center will galvanize more investment in Beloit.”

The construction on the estimated $405 million project would include building an 18-story hotel and an off-reservation casino featuring 1,500 to 1,800 gaming machines and about 44 gaming tables.

The hotel, restaurants, casino and convention center are expected to add up to 1,500 full-time and part-time jobs in Beloit, which will make it the city’s largest employer.

Through an intergovernmental agreement, Beloit and Rock County would receive a portion of the casino winnings. The city and county could receive between $3 million and $5 million a year.

State Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said this event has been anticipated by many Beloit residents, including himself.

“It’s very exciting. I had faith this day could come once we got federal approval, but I know many had doubts due to the long wait,” Spreitzer said.

He said the casino and the gambling aspect is only one part of the project, which will create jobs and bring visitors to the community.

“This will be something that will bring people here, not just for a day, but to stay overnight and possibly see. other parts of the community,” Spreitzer said.

The Ho-Chunk Nation operates six casinos in Wisconsin — Black River Falls, Madison, Nekoosa, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells and Wittenberg. Beloit would be one of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s largest casinos. The Wisconsin Dells casino currently is the Ho-Chunk’s larges casino.

The first proposal for a tribal casino in Beloit was put forward in the late 1990s when the Bad River Lake Superior Chippewa and St. Croix Chippewa proposed a casino. A referendum was held in Beloit in 1999 with a majority of residents approving of a casino development.

However, the Chippewa proposal was unsuccessful, with the Department of Interior rejecting a proposal to place land in trust for a casino in 2001 and the Bureau of Indian Affairs rejecting the casino proposal in 2009.

The Ho Chunk Nation then purchased about 30 acres near Willowbrook and Colley roads in 2009, which is where the Chippewa had planned their casino.

In 2012, the Ho Chunk Nation first submitted its application to the Department of Interior for the Beloit casino.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers approved the Beloit casino project in March of 2021 and the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved placing 33 acres of land in trust for the casino project in May of 2022.