Potawatomi: Kenosha casino would hurt Milwaukee economy

A top official for the Forest County Potawatomi says a proposed Menominee casino in Kenosha County would harm the Milwaukee area economically.

Jeff Crawford, the Potawatomi attorney general denied the Potawatomi tribe funded recent ads rapping plans to convert the Dairyland Greyhound Park into a gaming complex. He said the Bureau of Indian Affairs is wrong in its estimate of the positive economic development.

“We, and the city of Milwaukee, will lose approximately 3,000 jobs,” Crawford said on “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com .

The loss of jobs at the Potawatomi casino would have a ripple effect on the economy of the surrounding community, according to Crawford. He said local support is mixed.

“Obviously there is support in the city of Kenosha and Kenosha County,” said Crawford. “There is not consensus when it comes to Milwaukee County.”

Crawford also said the Menominee casino would result in an unwanted increase in Wisconsin gaming, and said the reports consulted for tribal approval were biased.

The Potawatomi opposition to a new casino in nearby Kenosha isn’t an issue of competition, he said.

“This is a heavily regulated and limited type of business,” said Crawford. “If it were to be free and open competition, there would be 50, 100 casinos in the state of Wisconsin.”

See more from the show: http://www.wisn.com/politics/upfront