MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced March 24 that he concurs with the United States Department of Interior’s decision that 32 acres of land in Beloit should be taken into trust by the federal government for the purpose of developing a new Ho-Chunk Nation casino. As described in the Ho-Chunk Nation’s submissions to the Department of Interior, the Beloit project would create more than 1,500 long-term jobs in the casino-resort complex and more than 2,000 construction jobs.

“As we work to bounce back from this pandemic, we must do everything we can to support economic development in communities across our state,” said Gov. Evers. “The Ho-Chunk Nation and local officials in Beloit and Rock County have been working together toward providing jobs and long-term economic support in the region, and this is an important step forward in making the Beloit casino a reality.”

By announcing his concurrence, Gov. Evers agreed with the Secretary of Interior’s April 2020 determination that taking the land into trust for the purpose of gaming would be in the best interest of the Ho-Chunk Nation and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community. The proposal now moves on to the next stages of the approval process. The Department of Interior must issue its final determination on whether to take the land into trust, and the Governor and the Ho-Chunk Nation must complete an amendment to the Nation’s gaming compact to address the new Beloit casino and related issues.

“We are incredibly excited to have this great news of the Governor’s concurrence today,” said Ho-Chunk Nation Vice President Karena Thundercloud. “We also want to thank the City of Beloit, Rock County, and our respective communities for all the support over the past several years. We look forward to the day when we can celebrate everybody who is helping this project along.”

“Not only will the Ho-Chunk Nation bring economic development, job growth and entertainment to our community, but the Nation will also provide cultural and historical education to our residents,” said Beloit City Manager Lori Curtis Luther. “We look forward to welcoming the Ho-Chunk Nation back to their home.”

The Beloit Gaming and Entertainment Center is a proposed $405 million dollar facility to be built on a 75 acre site ½ mile north of the Illinois border and immediately west of I-39/90. The complex would include one of the largest casinos in the state, a 300-room hotel with more than 45,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and an approximately 40,000 square foot indoor waterpark. The Nation also plans to develop additional entertainment or retail businesses on an adjacent property. It will be located at the intersection of Willowbrook and Colley Rds. across the interstate from the Beloit Travel Wisconsin Welcome Center and rest area.

A revenue sharing agreement with the Ho-Chunk Nation would pay both the City of Beloit and Rock County up to $3 million each year.

State senator Janis Ringhand was thankful to Evers for giving the go-ahead with the complex. She said the project has come after many years of work, and the new facility should be a boon to the area.

“The project has received widespread community support from voters, business leaders as well as local government. For years, Beloit has endured higher unemployment rates than the rest of the state and the Gaming and Entertainment Center is expected to bring in an additional 1,500 permanent jobs to the area,” Ringhand said. “Once we get past the pandemic, the Beloit Gaming and Entertainment Center will make a welcome addition to the mix of entertainment options in the stateline area.”

Mark Spreitzer, state assemblyman that represents Beloit, west Rock County and eastern Green County, was equally pleased with the decision.

“This project is more than two decades in the making, and reflects the strong, nearly decade-long partnership between the City of Beloit, Rock County, and the Ho-Chunk Nation,” Spreitzer said. “The promise of not just a casino, but a hotel, convention center, water park, and other entertainment opportunities has long been a dream of the Beloit community. Today, that dream takes another critical step toward becoming a reality.”

Beloit City Council President Regina Dunkin said that planned projects like this will help the area recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“An entertainment destination of this magnitude is a win for the entire Greater Beloit region and will provide job opportunities for our residents. We sincerely thank Governor Evers for his careful review and approval of this project,” Dunkin said.