This page contains archived news updates for Hard Rock Kenosha from 2023. These items were originally posted on the casino's profile page and have been preserved here as part of the 500 Nations legacy news archive. Major stories from this year may also appear as standalone articles in the main News section.
Menominee tribal leaders disclosed new details this week about plans for a $360 million Hard Rock casino complex in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The proposal includes a casino, a Hard Rock Cafe, restaurants, a Hard Rock Live concert center, and a hotel.
The Hard Rock casino will operate under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires approval from the U.S. Department of Interior and the Wisconsin governor. Federal approval is expected in late 2024. The governor will then have up to a year to approve.
Joey Awonohopay, chairman of the Menominee Kenosha Gaming Authority, told Kenosha News:
"You need two approvals. You need the federal approval and the governor's approval. These intergovernmental agreements and local agreements all feed into that. So the goal would be to try to get federal approval by the end of 2024. The governor has a year, (but) he doesn't have to take a year, to determine. Once the governor makes a decision, that's the final approval. Then it's an 18-to-24-month build."
- Joey Awonohopay, Menominee Gaming
Awonohopay explained that the construction plan is to build the entire project within a 12-18 month period, rather than build the casino, concert center, and hotel in separate phases over several years.
Although both the Kenosha City Council and Kenosha County Board of Supervisors have postponed action for approving intergovernmental agreements with the Menominee Tribe for the Hard Rock project, Awonohopay and other tribal leaders expect approvals will be passed in January.
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Kenosha council defers Hard Rock Casino vote until next year
November 23, 2023
The Kenosha Common Council met Monday night to vote on the Menominee Tribe's plan to build a Hard Rock Casino near I-94 and 60th. The casino would have 1,500 slot machines, 55 tables, a 2,000-seat concert venue, and a Hard Rock Hotel.
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Kenosha council defers new casino vote | FOX6 News Milwaukee - Courtesy of FOX6 News Milwaukee, Nov 20, 2023 . Available from YouTube
The Council must decide whether to approve the plan, which would transfer 60 acres of city-owned farmland to the tribe for the Hard Rock site. In exchange Kenosha would receive 3% of the casino's net wins in lieu of property tax. The land would then be transferred into federal trust to allow the tribe to conduct casino gambling on the property.
On Monday the Kenosha Common Council unanimously to defer its vote until January 2024. The delay will allow time for more talks.
The Hard Rock Casino still requires state and federal approvals. The Menominee Tribe expects the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will grant federal approval by next summer.
A public hearing for a proposed $350 million Hard Rock Casino in Kenosha was held Thursday night. Local residents gave their opinions about the plan by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin want to build a Hard Rock casino, hotel and entertainment destination on a 60-acre site on County Highway K off I-94.
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Kenosha Hard Rock Casino proposal, public to weigh in - Courtesy of FOX6 News Milwaukee, Nov 9, 2023 . Available from YouTube
After the meeting the Kenosha City Council voted 12 to 3 to give preliminary approval to a revenue agreement with the Menominee Indian Tribe. The Tribe agreed to pay a combined $12 to $15 million per year to the city and county. Final approval is expected in a city council meeting scheduled for Nov. 20. The county board will consider the deal this week.
The Kenosha casino will still need state and federal approvals. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is hoping the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will grant approval by mid-2024.
There has been little news regarding the development of the Hard Rock Casino in Kenosha, Wisconsin since the Menominee Indian Tribe unveiled the project about a year ago.
In a recent interview with WGTD, the Menominee tribal chairperson confirmed the casino project is alive and well and proceeding forward.
"We continue to make progress on the project and remain optimistic about its future. As you know, gaining the necessary, multiple approvals for a project like this is more like a marathon rather than a spring, and we continue on that path."
- Gena Kakkak, Menominee Tribal Chairwoman
The approval process is progressing at the local level. An agreement between the city and the tribe is nearly ready for sign-off
At the state level, Gov. Evers needs to sign off on the final plans.
At the federal level the Bureau of Indian Affairs is preparing to review updated information and documents from the tribe.
Chairwoman Kakkak expects the tribe will issue a press release this fall detailing the staus and the progress of the Hard Rock Casino project.
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Kenosha council defers Hard Rock Casino vote until next year
