Plenty of market share – and Potawatomi knows it

Multiple economic studies show the Southeast Wisconsin gaming market is significantly underserved – in other words, there’s plenty of room for two casinos to successfully compete and thrive.

Looks like the Potawatomi know it, too.

Check out this recent interview from The Business Journal in Milwaukee, where the senior project executive for Potawatomi’s just-open, quarter-billion-dollar off-reservation casino expansion lets it slip that the shiny new addition was built with yet ANOTHER expansion in mind.

In the meantime, the Potawatomi have spent millions to kill potential competition from the proposed Kenosha casino.

It’s not that the market can’t handle more gaming – Potawatomi wouldn’t be looking at yet another Milwaukee expansion if the market were saturated.

No, the market’s plenty big enough. But Potawatomi wants special government privileges to eliminate competition before it starts and keep a monopoly for itself – even if it costs the state billions of dollars in new revenue and thousands of jobs.

Say yes to healthy casino competition in SE Wisconsin by signing the online petition.

A Tale of Two Tribes

When the Menominee Tribe announced plans for a new entertainment center and casino in Kenosha, the Potawatomi reacted to the threat of competition for their Milwaukee casino by:

• Organizing front groups – one, two, and possibly a third – to oppose the Kenosha plan;
• Spending more than $1 million on a massive, extremely negative campaign to defeat a 2004 countywide referendum on the Kenosha project. (Potawatomi’s anti-competition efforts failed when voters overwhelmingly endorsed the Menominee project at the polls.);
• Fabricating opposition to the Menominee plan by busing their own casino employees to a BIA hearing in Kenosha. (Project supporters still outnumbered Potawatomi’s hired opponents by more than 7-to-1.);
• Funding a flawed economic study claiming it would be somehow bad if the Potawatomi actually had to operate in a competitive marketplace like everyone else;
• Spending millions on lobbyists pushing Potawatomi’s pro-monopoly agenda in the State Capitol, the U.S. Capitol and even the Executive Office of the President of the United States;
• And more.

When the Potawatomi decided to upgrade their on-reservation casino in Carter, less than an hour’s drive from the Menominee’s on-reservation casino in Keshena, the Menominee Tribe reacted by:

• Becoming a stronger competitor.

We don’t know what the Potawatomi will say about the on-Reservation casino expansion the Menominee announced today, but what we can tell you is this: It’s very different from the Kenosha project, and both are badly needed by the Menominee, one of the largest and poorest tribes in the state.

Here’s what Menominee Chair Lisa Waukau had to say about the two efforts:

“Improving our on-Reservation casino will help the Menominee maintain existing conditions by allowing us to continue to provide very limited, but badly needed, services to our members. But building in Kenosha will allow us to do much more – we will be able to hope, plan and work for a better tomorrow for our Tribe. While the on-Reservation casino generates most of Menominee’s current operating income, the Kenosha project will provide new resources to address the significant unmet needs our Tribe has even with current funding in place.

“Revenues from Kenosha, while creating thousands of good jobs and a multimillion-dollar economic boost that will be felt statewide, will allow us to more effectively address the issues of poverty, health care and housing; train our young people for positive and rewarding careers; better care for our elders; and contribute more in our communities. Like other Wisconsin Tribes that have benefited from expanded gaming, we will be able to build a more solid Menominee future.”

Support real casino competition in Southeast Wisconsin by signing the online petition.

They’re still at it…

There aren’t any new TV or radio ads (yet), but if you think that on-air silence means the Potawatomi have decided to end their multimillion-dollar crusade against the proposed Kenosha casino and embrace competition like any other good business, think again.

While the air waves are quiet, the e-waves are buzzing.

“Wisconsin Gaming for Wisconsin,” the front group funded solely by the Potawatomi, sent an e-mail last week attacking the Kenosha project. They vow to tell people “what’s really going on” with the Kenosha casino proposal.

Unfortunately for them (and for whoever’s actually reading their e-mails), there’s just not a lot for “Wisconsin Gaming for Wisconsin” to expose. Check out the e-mail, where they breathlessly report that the Mohegan Tribe “remains committed” (gasp!) to the Kenosha proposal.

Um, stop the presses.

For the record, they’re right. The Mohegan Tribe does remain committed to the Kenosha plan and its partnership with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin to help make it a reality. The Kenosha project would provide major economic benefits for the Menominee, one of the largest and poorest tribes in the State of Wisconsin, and create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic opportunity for Kenosha, Southeast Wisconsin and the state as a whole.

Sorry, “Wisconsin Gaming for Wisconsin”…it’s not exactly scandalous that a successful, out-of-state tribe is working to help strengthen a poor Wisconsin tribe and Wisconsin’s economy.

The real scandal is that a successful Wisconsin tribe refused to do the same thing.

Help put an end to Potawatomi’s anti-competition double-speak and sign the online petition.

What’s Potawatomi cooking up in Illinois?

Expanding gaming is a hot topic in Illinois, with lots of talk about a new casino in Chicago or its northern suburbs. While Illinois lawmakers consider expanding gaming as a way to meet the state’s funding, transportation and other needs, the Potawatomi appear to be gearing up to make sure expanded Illinois gaming doesn’t threaten the Tribe’s regional casino monopoly.

The Potawatomi have already spent more than $6 million in Wisconsin to kill the proposed Kenosha casino and keep a firm hold on their monopoly. Imagine how much they will have to spend if they want to do the same thing in Illinois, home to the country’s third-largest media market.

A blog in Springfield, the capital of Illinois, has disclosed that the Potawatomi are polling about the gambling question in the Land of Lincoln. The Potawatomi poll asked residents if they want a statewide referendum on gambling – something that would surely slow the process in Illinois (and help the Potawatomi hold onto their monopoly longer). Wags in the know weren’t surprised that the Potawatomi’s polling showed – you guessed it - support for such a referendum.

Here they go again. Is the poll foreshadowing yet another chapter in the Potawatomi’s anti-competition playbook? Here’s what could happen next:

1) Shockingly, there will probably be a news release or memo “leaked” or circulated stating that the people of Illinois want a statewide referendum on gaming expansion.

2) A mysterious group will start to surface stating that Illinois residents should have a referendum to show their support or opposition on the subject. Television ads will begin to appear, bearing the message that everyone should have a voice, and will be backed by a front group – think “Citizens for Choice” or a similar alias. It the Potawatomi’s anti-competition tactics in Wisconsin are any indication, such a “citizens group” will likely be an Astroturf group funded primarily by the Potawatomi. Don’t be fooled.

3) Once the Potawatomi get the referendum, their next move will be to spend a lot of money – more money than they’ve had to spend on prior referendums. The Potawatomi spent $1 million in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat a 2004 Kenosha County referendum, where voters overwhelmingly endorsed the casino. They’ll probably have to spend $3 million to $4 million in Chicago alone to have any kind of political impact in Illinois. No one said keeping a monopoly was cheap.

All of these actions will be taken to paralyze the gaming market in Illinois, just as Potawatomi is trying to do with its Kenosha shenanigans in Wisconsin. The goal is the same – to maintain their regional monopoly and keep competition away.

Stay tuned as we continue to monitor the Potawatomi and their efforts in Illinois and southeast Wisconsin.

Help put an end to Potawatomi's gaming monopoly by signing the online petition.

Potawatomi’s promises? Don’t bet on them.

It looks like the Potawatomi will do everything they can to hurt Kenosha – even if they have to break a promise to the people of Wisconsin to do so.

The news today is that the Potawatomi are negotiating with out-of-state race tracks to offer off-track betting at their off-reservation Milwaukee casino. That’s right, the Potawatomi are squeezing their monopoly on gaming in southeastern Wisconsin even tighter.

Just a few years ago, the Potawatomi assured State officials that they would refrain from offering off-track betting as long as Dairyland was in business. Now, the tribe is going back on its word – apparently buoyed by the false sense of entitlement that having a monopoly creates.

Dairyland Greyhound Park is now rising to the challenge by developing a few options such as including a possible entertainment center as the best option for Kenosha and Wisconsin to compete with the Potawatomi. Certainly the best option for Dairyland is the proposed Menominee Indian Tribe entertainment center and casino. This would create 3,000 jobs and numerous economic benefits for southeastern Wisconsin.

Potawatomi’s off-track betting plans are just another tactic to strong-hold the regional gaming market and preserve their monopoly in southeastern Wisconsin. The Potawatomi have gone back on their word to the State, and will do whatever it takes to maintain their gaming monopoly – even if it hurts Kenosha and the state of Wisconsin.

Help put an end to Potawatomi's Southeast Wisconsin monopoly by signing the online petition.

Kenosha casino application strong

Last week brought a few stories and some more anti-competition rumors after the BIA rejected 11 Land Into Trust applications and would not act on 11 others because of incomplete information.

We’ve heard some talk about this action and what it might suggest about the Menominee application. Although there are certainly obstacles involved in any off-reservation approval process, the Menominee Indian Tribe believes that its application is solid and strong. We believe it stands apart from other projects and is different in many ways. We firmly believe it deserves federal approval.

Our supporters agree that the Kenosha casino project is important and worthwhile, and we know that introducing casino competition to southeastern Wisconsin would bring significant benefits to the surrounding areas. The Kenosha project is not only in the best interest of the Menominee Tribe, but it will also be a major asset to the Kenosha area and the entire southeastern Wisconsin region.

We’ll continue to monitor the BIA and provide any update when it is available. In the meantime, we’re focused on the 3,000 jobs, the $800 million construction project and additional benefits that the Kenosha project would provide.

Say yes to support the Kenosha casino and sign the online petition.

Benefits of competition spread throughout Wisconsin

Menominee Tribal Chair Lisa Waukau knows the benefits that a casino in Kenosha would provide. Not only would the casino provide benefits to the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, one of the poorest tribes in the state, but would also bring economic benefits to the state as a whole.

Support competition and its benefits for Southeast Wisconsin by signing the online petition.