Officials at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison announced it will seek a city liquor license to serve alcohol at its Madison casino. The venue would be the city’s biggest entertainment facility with a full liquor license. General Manager Daniel Brown said, “It will upgrade the experience for our players.” He noted most of the state’s Indian gaming facilities offer liquor service.
Brown said the tribe will build a centrally located bar in the casino where servers would place orders to take drinks to players and drinks also would be served directly to customers. There would be some seating, he noted, but the bar itself will not be an attraction.
Mark Woulf, the city’s food and alcohol policy coordinator, said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin “is not crazy about the idea of having a liquor license at Ho-Chunk. But at this point, he will not be standing in the way of a liquor license.” He said the mayor has concerns about mixing alcohol and gambling. City Council President Denise DeMarb said, “I am in favor of the liquor license. It makes sense for their business model. But they need to come up with a plan.”
The tribe and city are working on another plan to determine other uses for 48 acres the tribe owns next to the casino. Possibilities include a hotel, tribal cultural center, conference space, parking structure and a sports complex, Brown said.
The tribe spent $1.34 million in 2004 on an unsuccessful referendum for a Class III license. The following year it requested a liquor license but faced opposition over whether the casino, which allowed smoking, would have an unfair advantage over bars and restaurants that were required to ban indoor smoking starting July 1, 2005. (Last August, the tribe voluntarily made Ho-Chunk Madison the state’s first smoke-free gambling facility.)
A compromise was reached granting the tribe a license to serve liquor in a separate, smaller bar room and in its large bingo hall on special occasions–but not in the main electronic gambling area, during bingo or in the restaurant. It also had a provision allowing police to inspect the premises at any time. The license was never used and expired in 2007.
The 67,125 square foot facility, opened in 1999, offers about 30,000 square feet of gambling space with 1,200 machines and a 90-seat restaurant.
