Soon Wisconsin and Illinois are likely to have two casinos competing with 20 miles between them. The Wisconsin casino could begin building later this year. No one knows when the Illinois casino will be approved.
Some leaders worry that this could cause saturation, but not Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, who last week signed off on the $405 million Ho-Chunk Nation’s Casino in Beloit. Meanwhile the city of Rockford waits approval for its Hard Rock Casino from the Illinois Gaming Board, which received the application in 2019.
The Hard Rock’s approval process has taken years, which has frustrated some town members. Illinois State Senator Dave Syverson last week gave voice to that frustration:
“Every month that we delay is a month that the state and local governments are losing revenue,” he said. “This is one of the things I tried warning the state about all the way back to 2017.”
Rockford Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Caitlin Pusateri told 13 WREX, “Once we both have casinos up and running, we could somehow partner to create a regional destination.”
Beloit City Manager Curtis Luther said “I believe that both can be successful. They’re going to be unique destinations and unique locations that provide different amenities and different choices. We’re providing options and that’s good for both of us.” He added, “We know it’s going to bring much needed jobs to this entire region.”
The revenues, said Luther, “are going to be really significant, and again bringing additional stability to the local economy and helping us plan for the future.”
Pusateri believes both casinos will create a “ripple effect” throughout the area.
Senator Syverson concluded, “I’m hoping this will be a wake-up call for the state. The competition is going to be one that, historically, would be a real problem for us … If Wisconsin beats us to the punch and gets opened people are going to get used to going to a casino like that, and then it makes it tougher bring them back home.”
