The hotel at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo from thisisemilyida / Instagram
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) says the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe might have to eliminate 2,000 slot machines as part of a Class III gaming compact dispute. The Potawatomi Hotel & Casino features about 3,100 slot machines. But since the tribe is withholding revenues that are required by the compact, Walker said an older agreement might go back into effect. The older agreement, from 1998, limits the casino to 1,000 slot machines, a private attorney who was hired by Walker's administration told the tribe in a letter, according to news reports. "Because it does not appear to be in anyone's best interest to pursue a remedy that results in a reversion to the 1998 compact, the state reiterates its request that (the Potawatomi) simply pay the revenue sharing payment," the attorney, R. Lance Boldrey wrote, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The tribe has withheld an estimated $25 million to $30 million from the state. At issue is the proposed Menominee Nation off-reservation casino.
Artist's rendering of the proposed Menominee Nation off-reservation casino. Image from Casino Kenosha
The Menominees want to build an $800 million casino in Kenosha. The site is only 40 miles from the Potawatomi casino in Milwaukee. A 2005 amendment to the Potawatomi compact requires the tribe and the state to enter into an arbitration process in the event of another casino "more than 30 miles and within 50 miles" of the Milwaukee casino. Sources told the Journal Sentinel that arbitration is ongoing. Get the Story:
Potawatomi at risk of losing games (AP 8/29)
Potawatomi could lose slot machines in dispute with state (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 8/28) An Opinion:
Bruce Murphy: Potawatomi Plays Hardball (Urban Milwaukee 8/27) Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: Menominee Nation Decision | Section 20 Determination: Menominee Nation Off-Reservation Casino
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