Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin (AP)

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says the tribe has purchased 93 acres of land in southwest Wisconsin to build a casino and hotel near Shullsburg.

The $320,000 purchase, completed during early December, is part of a process that began four years ago, Tribal President Victoria Doud said.

“This is an exciting step forward for the tribe,” she said. “We look forward to meeting with Shullsburg for a mutually beneficial venture.”

The tribe will seek state and federal approval for a casino with an attached hotel and convention center, a project estimated to cost $80 million, tribal attorney Carol Brown said. A water park and 18-hole golf course are also envisioned on the property, she said.

Indian tribes need approval from both the governor and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to build off-reservation casinos.

“We have some hurdles to overcome. We are very hopeful. We are persevering,” Brown said.

The tribe now operates the Lake of the Torches Casino on its reservation in northern Wisconsin.

Plans for the Shullsburg casino call for 1,700 slot machines, or nearly three times more than offered at the Lake of the Torches Casino, Brown said.

“The project is being designed with a destination theme in mind,” she said.

Jeff Doyle, president of the Shullsburg City Council, said 87 percent of the residents who voted in an April 2003 referendum approved the casino project.

“We’re excited to have this economic development opportunity,” he said.