Poker Writer
The small town of Somers, Wisconsin, could disrupt a planned tribal casino development worth $400 million. The casino development is set for Wisconsin’s fourth-largest city, Kenosha, under the direction of Hard Rock International and in partnership with the Menominee Indian Tribe.
But the plan has come under fire from the small neighboring town of Somers, about 10 miles inland and northwest of Kenosha. A site just west of Interstate-94 is supposed to house the casino. The Somers Village Board believes that the town of fewer than 10,000 residents should receive some of the new casino’s future revenue, given the negative impacts the casino will produce.
Hard Rock’s proposal already includes payments to the county, which could benefit Somers.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has begun its final review of the proposed casino complex for Kenosha. Interested parties had to submit all public comments by June 12. Somers’ village board submitted a letter to the BIA as part of that public comment.
Keep Reading
Negative Impacts of the Casino on Somers
The village board identified several negative impacts that it said the casino would bring to Somers.
The Village & Town of Somers has identified negative environmental, social, economic, and other impacts to the community such as increased runoff to nearby private properties, the Kilbourn ditch, and Des Plaines River watershed, increased number of public safety calls involving the Village of Somers Fire and Rescue, increased traffic on our roadways, harm to the economic redevelopment efforts along the interstate, and strain on funding for Village and Town services.
The board also noted the increased strain on the interstate system in the southern part of Wisconsin.
“Increased use of Somers roadways will result in greater calls for public safety services and strain funding for roadway maintenance,” the town’s letter read. The board noted all of the interstate exits that would be negatively impacted by the casino.
Hard Rock disagrees on the impacts. The casino operator stated that it will “strengthen the county’s growing economy and provide numerous benefits to the community. The proposed project will provide revenue sharing, direct payments, and support for important local projects.”
Tribal Casinos Dominate Wisconsin
Currently, Wisconsin houses 26 casinos, all of which are tribal. Tribal interests dominate gaming in the Badger State, recently receiving clearance to begin providing online sports betting in addition to in-person gambling.
Of those casinos, only two have a poker room: Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, with 15 tables, and Oneida Casino in Green Bay, with eight.
Hard Rock has a presence in the area, though on the Illinois side of the border. The proposed Hard Rock Kenosha is only about a 90-minute drive from another Hard Rock property in Rockford, Illinois.
If the BIA approves Hard Rock and the Menominee, Gov. Tony Evers has final say on the proposal. He’s very likely to approve it, given his support of the tribes in the recent online sports betting debate.
