Details of the agreement between the Menominee and Hard Rock — including the percentage of profits that the Florida Seminoles tribe would receive — have not been made public. The Menominee tribe is awaiting final approval for the casino from Gov. Scott Walker, who has until Feb. 19 to announce a decision. The partnership would mark the first time any casino project in Wisconsin would be managed by an out-of-state tribe.
"The question becomes, do we really want that revenue from the casino...being sent to Florida?" asked Richard Monette, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor. "That percentage becomes key, and those factors should be public."
Hard Rock would likely receive 30 to 35 percent of the Kenosha casino's total revenue and as much as 40 percent, predicted Monette, who is director of the Great Lakes Indian Law Center. Previous arrangements with potential developers called for the Menominee to share at least 25 percent of its gambling revenue.
Cullen Werwie, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of the Administration, said such details of tribal gaming compacts are not a matter of public record.
