A state Senator is urging Governor Walker to think carefully before approving a proposed Kenosha casino.
The governor is reviewing the Menominee Indian Tribe’s plans for the off-reservation casino, which it argues could generate millions of dollars in revenue. State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) says the governor should remember where that money would come from as he considers the project. “I would have hoped the recent revelation that people lose $360 million a year at the Potawatomi casino in Milwaukee would have caused people to hesitate a little bit before we wanted a brand new casino.”
AUDIO: Sen. Glenn Grothman (:56)
Supporters of the plan also tout the thousands of jobs the casino is expected to generate in southeastern Wisconsin, but Grothman contends the project is not what Wisconsin needs. Grothman says he normally thinks of the gambling as economic development in “armpits of the world.” He says Wisconsin should stick to things it’s good at, like manufacturing and technology.
Grothman is the latest of several lawmakers to weigh in on the proposed casino, which the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved last month. While most lawmakers have called on the governor to approve the project, Grothman says Walker should stay the course by encouraging “legitimate businesses” in Wisconsin.