Gov. Walker's "no" to Kenosha casino has supporters of Beloit casino hopeful it'll get federal approval

BELOIT (AP) — Now that Governor Scott Walker has decided on the Kenosha casino, supporters of a proposed Ho-Chunk casino in Beloit hope it will move through federal review more quickly.

City management and Ho-Chunk officials had held intermittent talks for years after the tribe bought 32 acres of city land in 2008 with negotiations intensifying in 2012, resulting in a preliminary deal.

Beloit city manager Larry Arft tells The Janesville Gazette (http://bit.ly/18bLRIr) officials were told the Beloit application was hung up at the Bureau of Indian Affairs for months partly due to the Kenosha proposal.

Walker on Friday, January 23rd denied the Menominee Nation's request for permission to build an off-reservation casino in Kenosha, saying it could leave the state owing a rival tribe millions of dollars.

The Ho-Chunk Nation opposed the Kenosha project.