Beloit to break ground on Ho-Chunk casino in fall 2024

BELOIT, Wis. (WTVO) — Beloit’s Ho-Chunk casino expects to break ground in fall 2024, city leaders announced Wednesday.

Plans include a $405 million casino, convention, and 18-story hotel to be built at the southeast corner of Willowbrook and Colley roads between Willowbrook Road and Interstate 39-90.

The Beloit Casino will house between 1,500 and 1,800 gaming machines and 44 gaming tables, including blackjack and roulette.

“The final program, that we’re excited about, breaking ground this fall includes a 300-key hotel. We’ve got a large gaming floor that consists of slot machines, table games, multiple food and beverage outlets within that. We’ve also got a convention center that is going to be multi-use. So we’re looking to bring concerts, you know, performances. We can also have expos, conventions, small meetings,” said Ho-Chunk Nation Trial Relations manager, Collin Price.

Sports betting will be available through an agreement between the Ho-Chunk Nation and the State of Wisconsin.

“Sports betting will be something that is offered at the casino. That’s something that has been included in our discussions with the state. The space that we’ve identified for the sports betting is significant. I can see that it is going to be specifically focused for that,” Price said.

The casino project won approval from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2020, and the plan was approved by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers in 2021.

The Ho-Chunk Nation’s development is expected to bring 1,500 jobs to the City of Beloit.

Beloit City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos said, “With this asset that’s coming to the city, it makes us more attractive for additional development, seeing more shovels go in the ground, not just near the expressway, but throughout the city. Amenities like this can help us, frankly, galvanize interest with other developers to invest here.”

The city will receive $13 million in federal funding to improve roads and infrastructure around the casino site. Bike and pedestrian lanes will be added to Willowbrook Road from Milwaukee Road to the stateline, as well as Colley Road to Gateway Boulevard. Additional traffic lights will be added along with other intersection improvements.

It will be the Ho-Chunk Nation’s seventh casino in Wisconsin, something Price said is critical to support the entire tribe.

“It has provided us opportunities that we wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s put our members through college. It’s provided housing,” he said.

The Beloit Casino will be located about 19 miles north of Rockford’s Hard Rock Casino along Interstate 90.

Construction on the Hard Rock Casino Rockford is moving toward completion before its late summer 2024 opening date.

The permanent casino is being built on the site of the former Clock Tower Resort, at 7801 E. State Street at the I-90 exit ramp, and is slated to open by Labor Day 2024.

The Hard Rock Casino won approval in October 2019.

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