This page contains archived news updates for Hard Rock Kenosha from 2025. 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.
The Menominee Indian Tribe is seeking federal approval to build a $400 million Hard Rock casino and entertainment complex at an off-reservation site near I-94 and 60th Street in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A formal application was submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 2022 and is still under review. The BIA has not indicated a timeframe for its decision. However, the tribe is hoping for a decision for approval is coming sometime later this year.
If the Kenosha Hard Rock project is approved by the BIA, the application will be forwarded to Gov. Tony Evers for final approval. Since the Kenosha casino site is off-reservation, the governor will make the final approval decision.
Evers has remained publicly non-committed about the casino. In Jan. 2024, he said "I can't talk about that. I probably could but I'm not going to. My role in that is way at the end. We will see what happens."
If the Kenosha casino plan is approved by the federal government and by Gov. Evers, the project will include a Hard Rock casino with 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, and a sportsbook, a Hard Rock Cafe, and six other restaurants, retail space, a hotel with 150 rooms, and a Hard Rock Live concert center with 2,000 seats.
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is patiently waiting for a do-or-die decision from the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) about whether to move forward with the Kenosha Hard Rock Casino proposal or reject it. The casino plan already has local approval from the City of Kenosha and from Kenosha County.
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Menominee Tribe waits on federal approval for proposed Kenosha casino - Courtesy of CBS 58, Feb 26, 2025. Available from YouTube
The federal process includes a very long and detailed evaluation of the Kenosha casino proposal to determine its eligibility under the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and its environmental impact under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The Department of Interior began processing the Kenosha casino application in 2022. During the past year, the DOI collected environmental data about the project for drafting an Environmental Assessment (EA) report.
A public announcement about the EA report is expected soon from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), an agency of the DOI. The report will be released for public review and followed by a 90-day period for public comments. The DOI will review the comments and revise the report if needed. This process is expected to be completed this year.
A final decision by the DOI on whether to approve the Kenosha Hard Rock Casino could come later this year or in 2026.
Last week the Chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin sent a memo to the news media with an update on the $360M Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Kenosha and his optimism for the future success of the project.
Project Status
Joey Awonohopay, the Menominee chairman, said the Kenosha casino requires both federal and state approvals because it will be built on off-reservation land. The building site will be on 60 acres west of Interstate 94, which the tribe is leasing from the City of Kenosha
The Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is currently processing an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Kenosha casino project to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). A draft-version of the EA draft was completed in spring of 2024 and followed by a 6-month review. Last November the EA was sent to the BIA Office of Indian Gaming (OIG) for final review. When finished the EA will be released for public review and comments.
After review of the public comments, the BIA will decide how to proceed. If the Kenosha project is approved, the BIA will send documents to Governor Tony Evers for his approval. The governor will have up to one year to respond.
Menominee Optimism
Menominee Chairman Awonohopay says there are no negative issues in the EA report, and he expects the federal government will give final approval to the casino at the conclusion of the process later this year.
For the Tribe, this project is more than a business venture; it represents the best opportunity for the Menominee to address the significant challenges facing our people.
The income generated will allow us to address critical issues faced by our roughly 9,000 enrolled tribal members, including improving essential infrastructure, education, and health care on our Reservation, which ranks among the poorest in both Wisconsin and the nation. With this project, we aim to become both a leading job generator and an example of economic empowerment in Wisconsin
- Joey Awonohopay, Chairman of Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Project Facts
Annual economic impact is estimated to be over $352 million for Kenosha County and $492 million for the state.
Hard Rock is expected to attract more than 2.4 million per year including 1.6 million from outside the state.
The $360 million proposed project create 1,000 construction jobs with $104 million payroll
The Hard Rock casino and hotel will employ more than 1,000 workers. Full-time workers will earn about $54,000. Hard Rock will pay $21 million in annual payroll taxes.
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