Posted on: October 9, 2024, 03:27h.
Last updated on: October 9, 2024, 03:27h.
Construction on a $405 million casino resort in Wisconsin’s Beloit will begin later this month.
One of six federally recognized tribes in the Badger State, the Ho-Chunk Nation says it will break ground on Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit on Oct. 25.
We are excited that this project is moving forward,” said Beloit City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos. “This development will have a positive impact on the City of Beloit. The casino, hotel, and convention center will attract more investment in Beloit.”
The project features an 18-story hotel with 312 rooms and a casino floor offering 1,500 slot machines and 44 live dealer table games. The resort will also include four restaurants, three bars, a spa, and 76,000 square feet of meeting space.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit is expected to open in early 2026.
Tribal Expansion
The Ho-Chunk Nation’s plans for a casino in Beloit have been in development for several years. In 2020, the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe’s request to place 73 acres of land in federal trust along Interstate 90 at Colley and Willowbrook roads in Rock County.
This approval allowed the Ho-Chunk Nation to ask the state for an expansion of its Class III gaming compact to include Beloit. The Beloit property will be the tribe’s seventh tribal casino in Wisconsin, joining existing operations in locations like Black River Falls, Madison, Nekoosa, and others.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) has agreed to adjust the state’s revenue-sharing agreement with the tribe. This agreement requires Ho-Chunk casinos to provide 5% of their annual gross gaming revenue to the state. The percentage increases to 5.5% if the tribe’s total casino revenue exceeds $350 million in a year.
Additionally, the Class III compact mandates that Ho-Chunk casinos share an extra 2% of revenue with the local governments where they operate. For the Beloit casino, 70% of this 2% will go to the City of Beloit, with the remaining 30% allocated to Rock County.
Competition Rises
Beloit is located near the Wisconsin-Illinois border and is close to Rockford, IL, where Hard Rock International recently opened a casino. Hard Rock Rockford, a $300 million project, began operations on Aug. 29.
In its first month, Hard Rock Rockford attracted over 157,000 visitors to its 175,000-square-foot facility. The casino includes 1,300 slots, 50 tables, six restaurants, a retail Rock Shop, and a 23,000-square-foot concert and events venue called Hard Rock Live.
According to data from the Illinois Gaming Board, Hard Rock Rockford generated over $13.7 million in revenue in September, ranking second in the state behind Rivers Casino Des Plaines, which earned $41.5 million.
Our first month of operations exceeded expectations,” said Hard Rock Rockford President Geno Iafrate. “We didn’t expect to surpass Rivers, but we aimed to claim the second spot.”
Bally’s temporary casino in downtown Chicago ranked third with $10.3 million in revenue.