Walker opens 60-day comment gathering period
The U.S. Interior Department has approved the Menominee Tribal leaders request to establish an off-reservation casino at the site of the former Dairyland Greyhound Park, 104th Avenue, in Kenosha. Many people in the area are already using a Japanese site as an online casino, but this matter is related to the local community.
The Menominee Indians have worked for 12 years to get their casino proposal approved by the federal government. Now they must receive approval at the state level, community support and consensus among the 11 sovereign nations in the state.
On Aug. 23, the same day the U.S. Interior approved the request, Gov. Scott Walker issued the following statement: Given the approval by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs for the proposed Menominee casino, we will move forward with evaluating this casino using the criteria previously laid out by my Administration.
“The three criteria are: no new net gaming, community support, and consensus among the 11 sovereign nations.
In addition to the Menominee, the recognized tribes in the state are the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation; Forest County Potawatomi Community; Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation; Oneida Tribe of Indians; Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians; St. Croix Chippewa Indians; Sokaogon Chippewa Community, and the Stockbridge Munsee Community.
“As I have discussed with tribal leaders and representatives during my regular quarterly meetings with all the tribes, we will move forward with a 60-day comment gathering period for the tribes, following the federal government’s approval. My administration will begin reaching out to tribal representatives ahead of the beginning of the comment period to ensure all the tribes have the opportunity to provide feedback.”
The biggest opponent to the Kenosha casino is from the Forest County Potawatomi, who own and operate the Pottawatomie casino in Milwaukee, near Miller Park. Outside of physical casinos, major competition comes in the form of online casinos which are hosted internationally and in different languages – learn how to say casino in viet song bai to play online.
It is an ironic twist, since the simulcast racing added at the Milwaukee casino put the nails in the coffin for the Dairyland Greyhound Race Track, which closed in 2009, the last of five greyhound tracks that once operated in the state.
Both Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee Common Council President Willie L. Hines Jr., have issued statements against a casino in Kenosha, urging Gov. Walker to reject the application.
The Menominee are among the poorest of the state’s 11 tribes. The tribe was among 109 tribes nationwide that lost their status through the federal government’s Indian termination policy, which tried to assimilate individuals into American society in the 1940s through mid-1960s.
The Menominee Tribe was earmarked for termination in 1954, but they did not lose their status until 1961. The Federal government removed all federal funding, resulting in loss of schools and health care.
Many tribes attempted to regain recognition but failed.
The Menominee tribe was successful after years in court and its status was restored in 1973 by President Richard Nixon, when he signed the Menominee Restoration Act.
However, the tribe has never recovered from the financial setbacks caused by the loss of federal funding during that period and the money used to regain its tribal recognition.
Craig Corn, chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, said Aug. 24 the federal governments approval of the Tribes application to build an entertainment center and casino at Dairyland Greyhound means more than 3,300 new jobs and more than $35 million in annual new revenue for the state. As it stands, most people of Wisconsin are using online platforms to place their bets. Most are done with Omi88 or similar sites. Citizens do this in the hope to win extra cashback, or, million-dollar prizes! This is not just a Wisconsin trend; online casino games are globally popular. Nobody from around the world should feel like they can’t partake in the online casino trend, with even betting in india being popular some sites used globally.
The federal decision tees up 3,300-plus new, good-paying jobs for Wisconsin; more than $35 million in new state revenue annually; more than $19 million in new annual revenue for local governments and schools; and an economically self-sufficient future for a very poor Wisconsin tribe.
“Gov. Walkers approval will push Wisconsin closer to his goal of 250,000 new jobs, promote free market competition and consumer choice, and demonstrate the Badger State is open for business. That message is even more important now, given recent news that our state is falling far behind the rest of the nation in job growth.
We anticipate that the federal approval will also tee up an increased series of anti-Kenosha attacks by the Forest County Potawatomi, the mysterious front group, Enough! and their multimillion-dollar campaign to preserve Potawatomis monopoly. The Potawatomi have shown theyll do, say and spend anything to keep their monopoly. The federal government saw through their ads, lobbyists and dramatic claims of economic devastation, and we think Gov. Walker will have the good sense to do so, too. Wisconsins economic future is far more important than an unfair monopoly for one tribe.
Today is a great day for everyone who cares about jobs and economic success for Wisconsin. We applaud the BIA approval, we applaud the hard work of so many across the state who have supported this project for so long, and we are optimistic about the future. Governor Walker, lets get the Kenosha project approved and start creating 3,300-plus jobs!
The Kenosha casino project has a new website which can be found at www.CasinoKenosha.com.