Menominee Tribe Advances Kenosha Hard Rock Casino After Federal Milestone

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin has cleared a significant hurdle in its years-long push to build a Hard Rock casino complex on a 60-acre site near Interstate 94 and 60th Street in Kenosha, after the Bureau of Indian Affairs released a favorable Draft Environmental Assessment concluding the project would have minimal environmental repercussions.

The BIA's assessment reviewed potential impacts across air quality, water resources, traffic, and public services, with federal officials determining the project would not create significant environmental harm and would comply with federal and state regulations. The document has been published for public comment, opening what Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman described as the next formal phase in a review process that has stretched across decades.

"This approval process is decades in the making, and the people of Kenosha have consistently supported the project," Kerkman said. "I've followed and supported the project for years. I encourage citizens to continue to make their voices heard throughout the comment period."

Menominee Tribal Chairman Joey Awonohopay framed the EA release as a long-awaited inflection point. "This is a long-awaited opportunity, and we are excited to have arrived at the next phase in this process," he said. "This project will deliver significant, local economic impact, create more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the final phase of the project, and support families and businesses across the region."

The tribe, based in Keshena more than 150 air miles north of Kenosha, filed its formal application with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2022. That application remains under review, and the BIA has not indicated a timeframe for its final decision. The tribe has said it hopes for a decision later this year.

The proposed development, a partnership between the Menominee and Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, is estimated to cost between $360 million and $400 million depending on the source. It would offer Class III gaming, the Las Vegas-style gaming category that requires a compact with the state.

That compact requirement points directly to Governor Tony Evers as the project's next major gatekeeper. Because the Kenosha site is off-reservation land, any BIA approval of trust acquisition would forward the application to Evers for final sign-off on a Class III gaming compact. His predecessor, Republican Scott Walker, refused to negotiate such a compact, citing concerns that a Kenosha casino would cut into revenues at the Potawatomi Tribe's casino in Milwaukee.

Local governments have already signed on. The City of Kenosha and Kenosha County both approved supporting agreements, with the Kenosha County Board voting in favor on January 17, 2024. To offset the loss of property tax revenue once the land transfers into federal trust and falls outside state and local taxation, the Menominee agreed to a 20-year revenue-sharing arrangement with Kenosha County: minimum payments of $500,000 per year for the first eight years, rising to $1 million per year for the remainder of the agreement.

Federal trust status, if granted, would give the Menominee governmental sovereignty over the 60-acre Kenosha site. The path from the current Draft EA stage to that outcome still requires a final BIA determination and, if that clears, a compact negotiated with the governor's office.