Game-changer! The Story of a $705M Economic Development Project Nearly 30 Years in the Making

New Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort Ranks as Second Largest in Wisconsin

A $705 million casino operating 24/7, expected to employ over 1,500 people, boasting 1,300 slot machines and table games; a project that was almost thirty years in the making.

When the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort officially opened on October 23, it represented the biggest economic development project to ever happen in Beloit.

“This is the second-largest casino resort in Wisconsin, behind the Potawatomi Casino Resort in Milwaukee,” said Celestino Ruffini, CEO of Visit Beloit.

And the grand opening is just the beginning. By the time the project comes to full completion around fall 2027, it will also include an 18-story, 312-room hotel and 2,000 seat convention center.

From a Nice Place to Visit to a Great Place to Live

Until now, a facility of this size just didn’t exist in Beloit; one with a massive amount of potential.

“The opening puts our destination in a position to attract meetings and events of any size, and to bring in visitors who may never have heard of Beloit or experienced the amenities we have to offer,” said Ruffini.

That could include clusters of new entertainment, lodging and dining options, especially along the Willowbrook corridor.

“It gives us a new opportunity to grow awareness of Beloit and encourage visitors to explore the other businesses throughout the city,” said Ruffini.

Which is key to something even greater.

“Visitation is the first step in economic development. Before someone decides Beloit could be a place for them, they’re first going to come as a visitor,” said Ruffini. “Ideally, we want visitors to one day think, ‘This is where I want to live.’”

Positioning Beloit as a Premiere Midwest Destination 

Which is huge for a city like Beloit, one that’s extremely reliant on the growth of the visitor economy.

According to the WI Department of Tourism, in 2025, visitors to Rock County spent $313 million. Area hotels also enjoyed a piece of the tourism pie, with room revenue generating a record-breaking $18.5 million.

The Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort is expected to add to those numbers, positioning Beloit as an attractive option for larger regional and national meetings, conventions, concerts, and sporting events.

“The casino opening puts our destination in a position to bring in visitors who may never have heard of Beloit or experienced the amenities we have to offer,” said Ruffini. “This is the first time we’ve really had something that’s totally unlike anything we’ve done before, and it begins to change the tier of communities across the Midwest that Beloit can compete with.”

Honoring the Past, Looking Forward to the Future

Within the pages of history, the opening of the resort also signifies a full circle moment for the Ho-Chunk people. What we now know as Beloit was once a village known as “Keecak,” pronounced kay-chunk in the Ho-Chunk language.

The idea for the project became a topic of conversation back in 1999, when local residents voted in a referendum to support a casino on the very spot where one exists now. At the time, the land was privately owned.

In 2009, the Ho-Chunk nation purchased the 30-acre property and began working on their dream of opening a casino there. Following a long approval process that included local, state, and federal negotiations, they were finally able to celebrate a ground breaking ceremony in October 2024.

“We can’t believe it’s finally happening and we are extremely excited,” said Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer in a press release. “We hold so much history in this area and now we can say we hold an amazing future to share with our friends and partners in the state line region.”

The gaming resort is the tribe’s seventh in the state, and at 240,000 sq. feet, also its largest.

“The opening was surreal,” said Ruffini of the grand opening, which included traditional Ho-Chunk drumming and dancing. “The facility was packed to capacity for pretty much the entire weekend.”