Ho-Chunk open casino near Tomah

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 29, 2004 | by Cahalan, Steve

TOMAH, Wis. - The HoChunk Nation's new Whitetail Crossing Casino opened Monday morning near Tomah, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony where some Ho-Chunk officials called it the fulfillment of a dream.

The $1.8 million expansion added nearly 7,800 square feet to the nation's Whitetail Crossing convenience store on Hwy. 21, three miles east of Tomah. The site's 100 slot machines are in a nearly 2,000square-foot area.

The "coinless" operation uses the ticket-in, ticket-out system. Players use the tickets to continue playing, or redeem them for cash. Although the games do not accept coins, when cashing out, some machines feature the simulated sound of coins dropping.

"The gaming industry itself is going in this direction," Ho-Chunk Nation spokesman Stewart Miller said of the new coinless slot machines.

Miller noted the Ho-Chunk Cinema six-screen movie theater opened in December in Tomah.

The new casino is "another form of entertainment that is going to be good for the entire Tomah area," said John Rusch, Tomah. city administrator.

"We've got the theater, we've got this, and I'm waiting for what's going to come next," he told the group.

The new casino is open from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Food and beverages are not served in the gaming area, but are available in the convenience store.