Opinion: Illogical opposition to Menominee casino

Tuesday, April 24, 2007  

"As a rule of thumb, I do not do what TV tells me to do, but I did act on a TV ad's pleas to go online to learn more about "what's really going on" with the Kenosha casino project and why it is bad for Wisconsin.

The Web site (noeastcoast.com) describes the objections to a proposed Kenosha casino. The group doing the objecting calls itself Wisconsin Gaming for Wisconsin and consists of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Urban League, VISIT Milwaukee and the Forest County Potawatomi.

These organizations cite the irrational, illogical and naive argument that money from the Kenosha casino project will be taken from Wisconsin and sent to the Mohegan tribe, based in Connecticut. The Mohegan tribe is partnering with the Menomonee Indian tribe of Wisconsin in the Menomonee's attempt to gain approval for a Kenosha casino.

The objectors' argument can be translated to this: A Wisconsin-based entity should not be allowed to do business with a non-Wisconsin-based entity because a portion of the profits from such a partnership will be given to the non-Wisconsin-based entity.

If having out-of-state visitors spend money in your state is as bad as Wisconsin Gaming for Wisconsin suggests, we should board up the water parks in Wisconsin Dells, build a wall around Lake Geneva and cut off Wisconsin's thumb and sink Door County.

Most important, the Potawatomi tribe should bar all out-of-state visitors from its casino in Milwaukee since it apparently believes it is wrong to accept money from out-of-state gamblers. Since the Potawatomi will never do this, its advertising campaign appears to be simply an effort to protect the tribe's monopoly on gaming in southeastern Wisconsin."

Get the Story:
Steven R. Pigeon:: Protecting a casino monopoly (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 4/24)