The Ho-Chunk Nation has opened its long-awaited $705 million casino in Beloit, Wisconsin, after nearly three decades of planning, adding a major gaming and tourism development to the region.
The casino, which opened on Friday, is expected to generate more than $150 million in annual net winnings. A portion of its gaming revenue will go to the city of Beloit, Rock County, and the state of Wisconsin.
The opening ceremony featured traditional drumming and dancing, with tribal and local leaders highlighting the project’s cultural and economic significance.
The city of Beloit was once part of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s territory. The tribe began the process of buying back the land for the casino in 1992.
“We’ve been fighting 12-headed dragons for over 20 years to make this happen today,” said Jon Greendeer, President of the Ho-Chunk Nation, as reported by Spectrum News 1. “I’m so happy to see all of our partners come together, like the cast of a Broadway play.”
The casino has at least 1,300 slot machines, table games, a steakhouse, and a food truck area. The development has already created 600 jobs, according to Visit Beloit. Another 900 jobs are expected when an attached hotel and conference centre are completed next year.
“This project is the true example of patience and persistence,” said Celestino Ruffini, CEO of Visit Beloit. “This community has waited for nearly three decades for this project to come to fruition.”
Rock County employs about 3,700 people in travel and tourism, he said. The casino and its planned hotel and conference centre are expected to add about 1,500 jobs, representing an increase of nearly 50%. “That is a major tidal wave unlike any seen in the state of Wisconsin in recent history,” Ruffini said.
Greendeer said the project would bring economic opportunities to the tribal community and the wider region through job creation and spending on local goods and services. “We’re going to create those jobs,” he said. “We’re going to buy those supplies. We’re going to use those services. We’re going to help you grow.”
In a report by Rockford News First, Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Chief Clayton Winneshiek said the project took years of work and collaboration to bring to fruition. “It’s been years since we looked at this, and today it’s with a lot of struggles and a lot of good minds that put forth to bring this,” he stated.
Visitors arrived hours before the opening, travelling from miles away to be among the first to enter the casino.
The nearby Hard Rock Casino Rockford also welcomed the new venue. Wendy Alsteen, the casino’s Vice President of Finance, encouraged visitors to choose the entertainment experience that best suited them.
The casino also highlights the Ho-Chunk Nation’s cultural ties to the area, Greendeer said, noting that tribal villages and places of historical and spiritual significance are nearby.
“Our villages are just down the road here. Places where we picked our medicine, places where we fasted, places where we battled and so this has always been home to us,” Greendeer said. “Our old ones would say that our way of life never stops regardless and while it seems like the drums are just beating down here in Beloit for the first time, they’re just continuing.”
Winneshiek said the tribe’s economic development had progressed from smoke shops and bingo halls to casinos, with a broader focus on supporting surrounding communities.
The opening celebration also featured a live DJ, a flag-raising ceremony, and opportunities for guests to meet former NFL players.
A hotel and parking structure are also planned as part of the development, with completion expected in fall 2027.
The Beloit property is the Ho-Chunk Nation’s seventh casino in Wisconsin and its largest.