A $33 million renovation and expansion at Ho-Chunk Gaming in Wittenberg, Wisconsin is nearing completion. “We’re a good neighbor. We’re a good partner. We want to expand our doors and bring more business to this area,” said Executive Manager Fletcher Collins.
The facility recently debuted a new gaming floor with 200 additional slot machines, a non-smoking gaming room and an updated bar, Collins said. Ten new electronic table games soon will be added. In addition, a new restaurant will open at the end of the month and an 86-room hotel will be completed in January. A new porte-cochere will be built in time for a grand opening next spring, Collins said. He stated the expansion will add 80 new jobs to the current 160 at Wittenberg.
Part of a $153 million initiative by the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Wittenberg project broke ground in September 2016. The tribe’s casinos in Black River Falls and the Wisconsin Dells also are being renovated and expanded.
Casino proceeds help fund Ho-Chunk programs and contribute to the growth and development of Wittenberg and Shawano County, Collins said. Wittenberg is one of six Ho-Chunk casinos in Wisconsin.
In April, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community sued the Ho-Chunk Nation, the state of Wisconsin and Governor Scott Walker in an attempt to block the Wittenberg expansion. The Stockbridge-Munsee said under the federal law, the Ho-Chunk tribe is not allowed to operate a casino there. It claimed its casino in Bowler would lose $22 million in annual revenue if the Ho-Chunk expansion went forward. But a federal judge ruled the Stockbridge-Munsee waited too long to sue, since the Wittenberg casino opened in 2008.
Wittenberg Village Board President William Switalla said the village does not receive any tax revenue from the casino, but Ho-Chunk Nation has contributed to the fire department and water system.
