Work continues on a hotel at the Ho-Chunk Nation casino in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, but the tribe held a soft opening on November 1, 2017, after completion of work on the gaming floor. Photo: Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg

Litigation | Openings & Closings

Ho-Chunk Nation unveils $41 million casino expansion following victory in court

Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Ho-Chunk Nation welcomed visitors to a $41 million gaming expansion project after securing a win in federal court.

The tribe expanded the gaming floor at the casino in Wittenberg in order to make way for more machines, a new restaurant and other upgrades, WSAW reported. A hotel with 86 rooms is on track to start accepting reservations in January 2018.

"As you can see, we still have more work to do," general manager Fletcher Collins said at the ribbon-cutting on Wednesday. "But we're ready to roll, we're ready for you and we're ready to bring this exciting new experience to Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg."

The project is the subject of litigation in federal court. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community contends that the expansion turns Wittenberg into a full-fledged casino, rather than the "ancillary" facility that was promised in the Ho-Chunk Nation's Class III gaming compact.

But the Ho-Chunk Nation won a significant victory last week when a federal judge dismissed the tribe from the lawsuit. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community waited too long after the opening of Wittenberg in 2008 to come to court, the October 25 ruling stated.

The Stockbridge-Munsee Community, which operates the North Star Casino Resort in Bowler, about 16 miles from Wittenberg, is mounting an appeal of the decision. The lawsuit is still active, as the state of Wisconsin remains a defendant.

Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, Stockbridge-Munsee Community v. State of Wisconsin.

Read More on the Story:
Ho-Chunk holds ribbon cutting for new casino expansion (WSAW November 1, 2017)
Ho-Chunk to celebrate expansion with ribbon cutting ceremony (WSAW November 1, 2017)