George Ermert, a tribal spokesperson for the Forest County Potawatomi Community, recently said the tribe would like Governor Scott Walker to keep a promise that “set from day one. He said he would only approve a new casino if there was local support, consensus among all 11 tribes in Wisconsin and if it did not lead to a net increase in gaming.” The Potawatomi along with the Ho-Chunk tribe are opposed to the proposed—and federally approved—0 million Menominee casino in Kenosha.
Walker recently asked the U.S. Department of Interior for a six-month extension on the timeframe for his decision. “Additional time beyond the one-year period is necessary to develop and analyze independent data, and facilitate discussions with the interested parties,” Walker wrote. The department had approved the Menominee’s application for an off-reservation casino on August 23, 2013. Walker, who has the final say on the proposal, would have had until August 23, 2014 to make a decision. Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch has hired the Dykema Gossett law firm for $500,000 to help review the proposal. The new deadline moves the decision beyond the November elections; Walker is running for re-election.
But some Wisconsin tribes may face an uncertain future as customers’ demands change and online gaming become realities. Jeff Crawford, attorney general for the Forest County Potawatomi, said, “We’re not in the early stages of the industry in Wisconsin anymore. The market’s been flat or slightly down over the years. It’s not like a gold rush day where you can set up shop and the cash flow starts.” Added Louise Cornelius, general manager of gaming operations for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, “We are 20 years into this business. The market has changed. What we also have to do is change, in terms of our marketing strategy. We’re an entertainment destination.”
Two Wisconsin tribes, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, have joined the national Tribal Internet Gaming Alliance, which aims to bring tribes together to compete with corporate online gaming operations. Bill Guelcher, chief executive officer at the Lake of the Torches Casino on the Lac du Flambeau reservation, said online gaming is inevitable. “I don’t think it’s a question of if. It’s a matter of when,” he said. The casino already runs non-wagering online slots, table games and poker as a marketing tool.
The Oneidas’ Cornelius said although online betting “is probably going to happen,” the Oneida tribe isn’t planning on it anytime soon. “We will never rule out a new venture that we have an opportunity to participate in. I think online might be the future of gaming. But at this point in time, we are just monitoring it,” she said. Added the Potawatomi’s Crawford, the tribe is closely monitoring online gaming but has no plans to get involved.
“We could be very wrong, and if you’re getting in early on online gaming, you could look like a genius years from now,” Crawford said.
Still, despite declining or stagnating revenues over the past few years, several tribes have completed or expanded their casinos, or are making plans to do one or both. For example, in addition to the proposed Kenosha casino, the Potawatomi tribe has a $150 million hotel under construction in Milwaukee. And the Oneida tribe is in the middle of $28 million upgrade of its Oneida Bingo & Casino in the Green Bay area, which will be completed in June just before the casino plans to celebrate its 20 year anniversary.
The project will include a remodeled main gaming floor with a large non-smoking area, five new restaurants including Vince Lombardi’s Legendary Sports Bar & Grill, an Oneida cultural museum plus new lighting, carpeting, ceilings, painting and more.
