Casino Stalker | Compacts

Wisconsin governor paid $2.2M to law firm for tribal casino work

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is seen on the left. Photo from Facebook

An out-of-state law firm was paid $2.2 million to work on a slew of Indian gaming matters in Wisconsin, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Gov. Scott Walker (R) hired Dykema Gossett of Michigan in December 2013 to advise him on the Menominee Nation off-reservation casino. At the time, officials said they went outside for legal help due to conflicts of interest with firms based in Wisconsin.

But Dykema Gossett's role expanded as Walker dragged out the decision on the controversial casino, the Journal Sentinel reported. The firm negotiated Class III gaming compacts with the Menominee Nation, the Forest County Potawatomi Community and one other tribe; represented the state in gaming compact mediation with the Forest County Potawatomi Community; and hired a consulting firm in California to analyze the economic impacts of the Menominee Nation's proposed Hard Rock Casino in Kenosha, the paper said.

The consulting firm's $473,808 study was part of the $2.2 million payment to Dykema Gossett, the Journal Sentinel reported. The figures were obtained by the paper through an open records request.

Walker ended up killing the Menominee Nation casino bid in January. He's now seeking the Republican nomination for president.

Get the Story:
State paid Michigan lawyers $2.2 million for work on casino bid (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 8/20)

Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: Menominee Nation Decision | Section 20 Determination: Menominee Nation Off-Reservation Casino