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The Ho-Chunk Nation‘s construction of Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit remains on schedule ahead of a planned September 26, 2026, opening for the casino portion of the development.
Construction crews began work on the project in October 2024 at the southeast corner of Willowbrook and Colley roads in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Plans for the development include a gaming floor covering more than 240,000 square feet with 1,500 gaming machines, live entertainment areas, and more than half a dozen food and beverage outlets.
The project will also include a hotel with more than 200 rooms. Tribal officials said the final room count could increase depending on market demand. The hotel portion is expected to open in mid-2027.
Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer said the resort will incorporate Ho-Chunk cultural references through artwork, design, and elements connected to the tribe’s history in the Beloit area.
“We never really left there,” he said. “It’s still a cultural landscape.”
Casino expected to drive local employment
The casino is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs in the Beloit area while opening opportunities for local vendors and small businesses tied to the property’s operations.
“It’s the mom-and-pop businesses that really benefit by having an industry this large coming in— we can’t utilize someone from Minneapolis or Chicago, it has to be someone right at home,” said Greendeer.
The casino has already begun holding hiring events ahead of the opening date. The next recruitment event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 2-4 at the Beloit College Library at 735 College Street in Beloit.
Competition develops in the region
The Beloit project is moving forward while gaming operators prepare for additional competition in the market.
Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced plans to open a hotel in late 2027. During the announcement, Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, referenced the Beloit development located roughly 18 miles north of Rockford.
“Everyone knows we have competition. New competition entering the market 18 miles north of us,” Iafrate said. “We have to defend Hard Rock Casino Rockford, and we have to defend this region, and we have to do so by expanding.”
Greendeer said competition within the gaming industry is common while discussing the project’s position in Wisconsin and Illinois.
“We are the best gaming industry in the Midwest without a doubt,” said Greendeer. “As far as competition goes, we’ve already won in terms of making sure that we’re a benefit to both the state of Illinois and the state of Wisconsin, Rock County, and the city of Beloit.”
“We’ve already established that. We are not taking our money and sending it somewhere else. We’re trying to keep that together so that we can all win together,” he added.
Local communities assess economic activity
Sandwiched between the two casinos on I-90 is South Beloit. The city’s mayor, Tom Fitzgerald, says he’s looking forward to the opportunities the new development could bring.
Fitzgerald said the city could see increased traffic and business activity tied to the casino development, although South Beloit will not receive casino profits.
“It would make me more excited if we got part of the profits, but we are not,” said Fitzgerald. “We’re kind of sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else make money.”