Ho-Chunk casino building footprint keeps expanding

BELOIT — Miron Construction and the Ho-Chunk Nation in April took out a building permit for the 18-story, 312-room hotel that will be the dominant landmark in the $500 million casino/convention/hotel project off Interstate 90.

Miron and Ho-Chunk estimated the construction cost of the hotel at 777 Willowbrook Road at $185.1 million.

Ho-Chunk has now taken out four building permits in 2025, for the casino and related developments — the casino, the foundation for the hotel, the foundation for the parking garage and now the hotel itself. All together, the permits estimate the construction cost at $293.7 million.

There is one major component that Miron still has to apply for a permit — the convention center.

Ho-Chunk broke ground on the project on Oct. 25. The construction timeline calls for the casino to be ready in the summer of 2026 and the hotel and conference center in 2027. When complete, the entire project will encompass 1.2 million square feet. Total cost of the project is estimated around $500 million. As many as 800 workers will be at the site daily, especially in the next two summers, to keep the project on schedule.

HBG Design, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is the architect for the project. Beloit-based Corporate Contractors Inc. is acting as project manager and owner’s representative.

Ho-Chunk currently operates six casinos in Wisconsin — Black River Falls, Madison, Nekoosa, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells and Wittenberg. When it opens, Beloit’s casino will be the second largest casino establishment in the state.