But in March 2020, they were forced to close as COVID-19 swept the state.
That meant hundreds of millions of dollars for tribal health care, education, and social services evaporated as casino revenues slowed or stopped.
Casinos in our area are mostly open again, but things aren’t like they were before. And it could be years before revenues recover.
Table games at Mole Lake Casino remain closed for safety.
Credit Ben Meyer/WXPR
Many casinos were at least partially open again by June 2020, but Mole Lake Casino, run by the Sokaogon Chippewa tribe, held out.
“We could have opened back in June, too, if we had wanted to,” Godin said. “But the tribe decided it was in their best interests to keep their small community safe by keeping their casino closed, and we actually had the financial means to do so.”