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March
1 2001
Wisconsin
Greyhound Park Excludes Tribal Casino Plans
As it turns out, a Lac du Flambeau casino at the Fox Valley
Greyhound Park may never have been in the cards. More than three
months after the casino plans collapsed, Mayor John Lambie remains
optimistic there are big things in store for the former Fox Valley
Greyhound Park. Lambie said,`As it turns out it didn't matter. The
governor would most likely have killed it anyway.' In the early
days of his tenure, Gov. Scott McCallum has made it clear that any
expansion of gaming in Wisconsin will not happen on his watch.
Lambie said former Gov. Tommy Thompson's appointment to President
Bush's Cabinet was always in the back of the casino backers'
minds. They knew that if Thompson moved on, McCallum would likely
not be as open to gaming expansion. By gathering more than 1,000
signatures, casino opponents forced the issue to a referendum.
Although city residents voted almost two-to-one to let gambling
in, the delay may have been the death knell for the proposed
gaming complex. The project proposed by the city and tribe
included a gaming complex with a 200-room hotel and convention
center and indoor water park. It was projected that the
development could generate as much as $35 million in annual tax
revenue for the city.
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