The Ho-Chunk Nation has gotten federal approval to open a casino and entertainment complex in Beloit. But it will still need Gov. Tony Evers' permission.

By federal law, governors have the power to approve or reject off-reservation casinos.

When Evers was running for governor in 2018 he told the Beloit Daily News he would approve the project. After he was elected, Evers said he would carefully review the proposed casino.

"Casinos have been the bedrock of tribal economies across the nation. The economy of the Ho-Chunk Nation is no different," tribal Vice President Karena Thundercloud wrote Thursday in a letter to Ho-Chunk members who are employed by the tribe.

The Journal Sentinel reports Thundercloud said the process of getting an off-reservation gaming operation in Beloit to the governor's desk has been "long and difficult."

The tribe says the casino and complex is expected to provide 1,500 jobs if it's built on 73 acres near Interstate 39/90.

The City of Beloit announced the Bureau of Indian Affairs decision Thursday.