Last week the Kenosha city council on an eleven to six vote passed a resolution approving an off-reservation casino. The casino is a joint effort of the Wisconsin Menomonie tribe and the Florida Seminoles. The entire process has been fraught with incomplete information and secret negotiations. Kenosha County Board of Supervisors will vote on the proposal on January sixteenth. Much more has to be done before the final proposal goes to the governor, who has unilateral authority to approve or deny.
People supporting the casino claim it will bring jobs and money; people opposing it are concerned about increase in crime and the impact a casino will have on local businesses. Wisconsin already has over twenty casinos. We know in general they negatively impact communities—and their impact is felt way beyond their geographic location.
