The Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe has unveiled plans that will see it spend $153 million in order to expand a trio of Ho-Chunk Gaming-branded casinos while also adding 100 jobs to its already 3,400-strong workforce.
Christened “Project Forward”, the expansion is slated to begin next month and will involve major renovations to three Ho-Chunk Gaming casinos encompassing properties in the towns of Wisconsin Dells, Black River Falls and Wittenberg.
“We are extremely excited to grow and offer new amenities that will only enhance one of the best entertainment experiences in the region,” said Wilfrid Cleveland, President for the Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe. “It’s a win-win for everyone when we can create more jobs throughout Wisconsin and add more value to our guest’s experience.”
The Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe explained that “Project Forward” is to see Ho-Chunk Gaming add a new hotel main entrance and lobby to its facility in Wisconsin Dells while the property will also have its bingo and buffet areas renovated. The central Wisconsin casino will additionally soon feature a new hotel bar, poker room and off-track betting facility while its gaming floor is to be redesigned and come complete with an expanded non-smoking area.
For its Wittenberg enterprise some 67 miles northwest of Green Bay, Ho-Chunk Gaming plans to add an 84-seat restaurant and bar alongside an 86-room hotel. As if this wasn’t enough, the development is to expand the facility’s casino offering with 272 slots and ten gaming tables as well as new high-limit and non-smoking gambling areas.
Finally, “Project Forward” envisages adding a new 120-room hotel and an expanded and redesigned casino offering 200 more slots to the casino in Black River Falls. Ho-Chunk Gaming is to moreover bring high-limit gaming to the facility located approximately 55 miles south of Eau Claire alongside a new parking lot and a remodeled buffet with 36 additional seats.
“Groundbreaking ceremonies with tribal and local dignitaries will kick off construction projects at each property,” read a statement from the Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe.