The casino can be adjacent to the Bradley Center
Representatives of the Bradley Center are speaking with Forest County Potawatomi about the possibility of developing a casino near a downtown Milwaukee sports and entertainment venue. Woolies Payne, the Bradley Center"s board president, confirmed that Potawatomi, who already operates casinos in the Menomoni Valley, and had "preliminary discussions" about placing the downtown casino in a parking lot adjacent to the Bradley Center. The tribe may consider renting a three-acre site at the northeast corner of North Six Street and West Highland Boulevard, or combining the parking lot with other parcels owned by the Bradley Center to assemble the site.
"I"ve had a lot of discussions with them about some possibilities," Payne said in an interview.
Forest County Attorney General Jeff Crawford said he is willing to listen to the pitch to move the casino, which is now 1721 W. Canal St. Forest County, into town. Forest County has proposed a $240 million expansion of the Menomoni Valley area, but the project is on hold until Potawatomi signs a new gaming contract with the state of Wisconsin.
"As long as there are no holes in the ground (for expansion) in the Menomoni Valley, we still have time to discuss this," Crawford said. "We want to keep talking to the business community if moving casinos downtown will be good for Milwaukee."
Opening a downtown casino requires approval from the city of Milwaukee, the state and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Crawford and Payne rejected speculation that the tribe would buy Bradley Center and convert it for casinos, which used the proceeds to build a new downtown stadium.
"Nothing like that has been put on the table for us to consider," Crawford said.
Crawford said the biggest question about moving casinos downtown would be the amount of money the tribe would receive from Milwaukee and Milwaukee counties because of the finances already invested in the Menomoni Valley.
"We haven"t seen a clear offer yet, but we are concerned about how our significant financial investment in the valley will be handled," he said.