New Poll Shows Strong Support For Proposed Kenosha Casino

KENOSHA, WI (WLIP)–Kenosha County residents favor a Menominee Indian Tribe and Hard Rock International casino by a more than two-to-one margin.

60% of the local residents supported the project and only 25%were opposed.

That’s according to the results of a recent poll of 600 regional residents, conducted in late September.

A proposed Kenosha casino has even higher support levels in the four-county region that also includes Racine, Waukesha, and Milwaukee counties.

The survey showed broad support across all demographic and racial groups and that there was bipartisan support among both women and men and young and older voters

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Full press release:

News Release
Oct. 13, 2022
For Menominee Indian Tribe
Evan Zeppos
Twitter:@casinokenosha

NEW POLL SHOWS 60% SUPPORT FOR KENOSHA CASINO TWO-TO-ONE SUPPORT AMONG ALL AGES, DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS SURPRISING THREE-TO-ONE SUPPORT IN REGION EVEN TOPS LOCAL SUPPORT

Kenosha County residents favor a Menominee Indian Tribe and Hard Rock International casino by a more than two-to-one margin, with 60 percent of the local residents supporting the project and only 25 percent opposed, according to the results of a recent poll conducted in late September.

According to the survey, a proposed Kenosha casino has even higher support levels in the four-county region that also includes Racine, Waukesha, and Milwaukee counties. Based on the poll of 600 regional residents, support for a project in the area was 60% in favor and only 16% opposed, a more than three-to-one ratio of support among those polled.

A breakdown of the four-county data shows that support was the highest in Waukesha County, where 63% of the respondents favored the project.

Similarly, support was high in Racine County (62%+) and Milwaukee County (58%+). “Kenosha area residents have made up their minds, and they support a casino by a wide margin,” said Ron Corn Sr., Chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

“They understand the value of attracting more visitors to Kenosha who will spend more money locally, help create more jobs, and make Kenosha a destination to enjoy big name entertainment.

The Menominee project in partnership with Hard Rock will generate more revenue for both the City and County of Kenosha, and the community overwhelmingly supports the project.”

Corn said the survey results are “good news for Kenosha and good news for the Menominee, especially because they show bipartisan and regional support for approving the project.”

Corn noted that the survey showed broad support across all demographic and racial groups and that there was bipartisan support for a destination entertainment center and casino among both women and men and young and older voters.

He added that one of the most interesting data points from the survey was that while there was strong support from both Republican and Democrat voters, so-called ”ticket splitters,” people with less partisan affiliation, were among the strongest backers of the project.

Corn said the survey showed that all age groups in the four-county area indicated a majority of support for the project, with the highest support score of 67% in favor coming from respondents in the 35-54 years-old group. In Kenosha, he added, a younger demographic group topped the support list, with 74% in favor of the project among those aged 18-34 years-old.

The Chairman also pointed out that even when respondents were provided with exaggerated claims about the project and told inaccurate arguments about where and how casino funds generated would be used, there was still a large majority of support for a project.

The poll showed that minority populations were among the strongest supporters of a project in Kenosha, with the poll showing 67% support among African Americans and 75% among Hispanics in the county.

The poll was performed by the Tarrance Group of Alexandria, VA, which has long conducted many other polls in Wisconsin during the past two decades. The research was done during the period of Sept. 22 –29, 2022.

A total of 600 calls were completed, with half of them (300) being with Kenosha County residents and the other half (300) being with residents in Racine, Waukesha, and Milwaukee counties.

“We are grateful for this continued high level of support,” Corn said. “We are confident that a project can be an economic catalyst for Kenosha and a regional draw for people from Wisconsin, Illinois, and other places.

The combination of a Hard Rock Casino, Hard Rock Cafe, Hard Rock Hotel, and a Hard Rock Live entertainment venue will be a magnet that will draw visitors who want to experience all that Kenosha has to offer.

With its many museums, attractive lakefront, and growing food scene, a Kenosha casino is sure to be one of the top travel destinations in Wisconsin, and we are excited to move this project forward one step at a time.”

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About Hard Rock®: About Hard Rock®: Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally
recognized companies with venues in over 70 countries spanning 253 locations that include
owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also
launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and
internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and
most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 86,000 pieces, which are
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& Leisure, Gaming, and Entertainment Industry. Hard Rock was also designated as a U.S. Best Managed
Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal and named the top performing hotel brand in
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brand is owned by HRI parent entity The Seminole Tribe of Florida. For more information on Hard Rock
International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.