Bice: Potawatomi is planning $200 million concert venue that would seat up to 6,000, sources say

From the Article:

The Forest County Potawatomi Community is going all in on the entertainment business.

Sources tell the Journal Sentinel that the Potawatomi is planning to construct a $200 million concert venue that will seat up to 6,000 people on property just to the west of the tribe's Hotel & Casino.

The plan calls for the tribe to get approval from city officials and the Common Council this year and break ground in the first quarter of 2025.

"It would be shovel in the ground in March or at least the beginning of 2025," said a source familiar with the project.

Officials with the tribe declined to comment when asked about the concert hall.

But this unexpected proposal could throw a wrench into city-approved plans to build a $60 million music theater in the Deer District that would seat 4,500.

Why?

It appears that the Potawatomi would fund the venue on its own without relying on traditional financing, removing one major hurdle for the construction project.

In addition, one prominent Milwaukee music insider said the two venues would end up competing for the same performers, creating a showdown between the Deer District theater, which is backed by music-industry behemoth Live Nation Entertainment, and the casino-funded music hall.

"It would be Godzilla versus King Kong," the insider said.

The Journal Sentinel recently reported that the Potawatomi casino at 1721 Canal St. won at least $415 million from gamblers during the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to Journal Sentinel calculation based on fees paid by the tribe to the city and county of Milwaukee.

In the previous 12 months, the tribe posted a net win of about $395 million in winnings, the records show. The net win is the amount of money that gamblers lose at slot machines and table games.

Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said the city's top official had not received any briefings or specifics on the proposed new venue. But Fleming said Johnson "has been consistent in not using zoning or other regulatory approvals to address competitive business concerns."