The Mole Lake outfits are in a really rotten location - off the beaten path, only handy for people living in the immediate area, and not on any kind of a decent highway. The biggest Indian Casinos in Wisconsin are Oneida (located on the edge of Green Bay [a small city] and near a major expressway) and Ho-Chunk (located near the Wisconsin Dells, a big vacation area and also just off a major expressway.)

Mole Lake's biggest problems have been people in the tribal/casino management being caught in various money scams. There have been at least a couple of stories about missing cash regarding the casino or related federal funds. The feds shut down the places (there is a bingo hall and two "casinos" - building a block apart that are considered two seperate operations in promotional material) twice in the past year because of the problems, but the tribe did negotiate a renewal of the state gaming compact with Governor Tommy "I hate gambling" Thompson, so they must plan to keep it going. Even if they don't make a lot of cash, the fact that they are now paying the state something means they must be getting something out of the operation. All three buildings are open now.

The questionable place right now is the Isle Vista Casino run by the Red Cliff tribe up near Bayfield, Wisconsin. The new state compacts are being negotiated by Wisconsin with the state wanting the tribes to kick in cash for the right to stay open. Isle Vista is the only one that said they would not pay, and their original 7 year compact expired this year and this gives them a year before the feds could shut them down. It will be interesting to see if that casino (actually it's a casino - bowling alley!) stays around.