As the Ho-Chunk Nation moves forward on its proposed $405 million casino in Beloit, Wisconsin, officials said they do not anticipate a surge in crime. Beloit Police Chief David Zibolski said, “When you’re bringing in a large amount of people something will happen. Someone falls and gets hurt. There’s a car accident. There’s retail thefts from the establishment. I wouldn’t call it anything of concern. I think it would just be the normal growth of a city.”
If the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs takes into federal trust the 33 acres the tribe has purchased, and if Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signs off on the casino as expected, it would be the second largest in the state, with 2,200 slots and 50 table games.
Some Beloit residents spoke out against the casino at the BIA’s public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement on December 11. Opponents have said the casino could cause a rise in gambling addiction. But Brad Chown, city administrator at Black River Falls, where the Ho-Chunk Nation tribal office is located, said the tribe’s casino there is a “huge employer” in Jackson County and helps address poverty and drive economic development.
Ho-Chunk spokesman Collin Price said the BIA could announce its decision this spring. He noted the tribe would offer a minimum hourly wage of $10. “We are in business to provide good-paying jobs and also offer a great experience for our guests. Crime is not good for business. Crime’s not good for customers. It’s not good for a community. And that’s the way we look at it,” he stated. Price added the tribe works with the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling which provides a 24-hour hotline, resources and public awareness on gambling disorders.
Beloit City Manager Lori Curtis Luther said following the BIA’s approval, Evers most likely would study the issue for at least six months before signing off. She said gambling is “one element” of the development which would provide 1,500 jobs and include a 300-room hotel, 40,000 square foot indoor water park, 175,00 square feet of retail space, convention facilities, outdoor amphitheater and onsite daycare.
The tribe and city of Beloit signed an intergovernmental agreement requiring the tribe to pay the city and Rock County 2 percent of quarterly net win in lieu of property taxes. The county would receive 30 percent and the city would receive 70 percent. With net win estimated at about $5 million annually, the city would take in about $3.5 million each year.
