KENOSHA, Wis. — Both major-party candidates for Wisconsin governor have expressed opposition to the Menominee Tribe’s proposed off-reservation casino in Kenosha, leaving the project with no realistic path forward under the next administration.
Republican Tom Tiffany has said he does not want to expand gaming in Wisconsin. Democrat David Crowley has raised concerns that the project would divert revenue from Milwaukee’s existing Potawatomi Casino & Hotel. Federal law requires the governor’s concurrence for an off-reservation casino of this type. With both candidates opposed, the project faces a significant obstacle after the 2026 election.
“Local officials have spent years tying up land, negotiating agreements, and devoting public resources to a project that both major-party candidates for governor oppose,” said Lorri Pickens, executive director of Citizens Against Expanded Gambling (CAEG). “It is time to let the land option expire, withdraw Kenosha County from the intergovernmental agreement, and redirect the community’s time and resources toward meaningful economic development.”
CAEG has repeatedly highlighted fundamental problems with the proposal, including outdated economic studies that fail to account for the now-operating Ho-Chunk Beloit Casino and Hard Rock Casino Rockford, incomplete environmental analysis, and last-minute site changes. These concerns remain unresolved. Continuing to advance a project that faces opposition from both gubernatorial candidates only delays productive development and prolongs the use of public resources on an uncertain outcome.
The Village of Bristol is also forgoing the opportunity to complete the proposed $15 million sale of its nearly 60-acre site, which could return the property to productive, taxable use. Meanwhile, Kenosha city and county taxpayers stand to lose substantial annual property-tax revenue. County analyses estimated potential annual revenue of nearly $620,000 if the site were developed as a hotel, or nearly $820,000 if developed commercially.
Instead, the land remains tied up under an option and intergovernmental agreements that offer no substitute payments if the next governor withholds the required concurrence.
Kenosha’s local officials should recognize the political reality, end their commitment to a stalled casino proposal, and allow the site to move forward with productive development that generates tax revenue and benefits the community.
