
Would La Crosse vote to allow a casino now? — and hyping another woman-owned biz “for no reason whatsoever”
From La Crosse Talk PM WIZM by Rick Solem
June 13, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
The episode discusses gambling culture and politics in La Crosse, featuring insights from political experts and highlighting a local woman-owned business.
We discuss the culture and politics of gambling and drinking in La Crosse with UW-L political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, and WIZM’s Brad Williams, and then feature another woman-owned business "for no reason whatsoever" Friday on the Rick Solem Show. The "sin taxes and vices" conversation went in a bunch of different directions, including a look back at when La Crosse residents voted twice by referendum, in 1995 and 2000, on whether to allow a casino in the city—and discussing if that would pass today. Another reason for the conversation stems from the La Crosse City Council recently denying liquor license renewals for two local establishments , plus whether Wisconsin’s sports gambling legalization gets fully implemented before Gov. Tony Evers leaves office. After that, Chergosky breaks down the politics of the Wisconsin governor’s race. Now that there are seven Democrats and two Republicans on the ballot, less popular candidates face a dilemma: do they try to go viral to make a name for themselves — does that have to be negative — or is the responsible thing to do "for the party" to drop out? Lastly, we talked to another…
People in this episode
Host: Rick Solem
Guests: Dr. Anthony Chergosky, Brad Williams, Jolene Danca
Topics covered
- gambling
- politics
- liquor licenses
- women-owned businesses
- Wisconsin governor's race
- sports gambling
Keywords
- casino
- La Crosse
- gambling politics
- liquor licenses
- women-owned business
- Wisconsin governor's race
- sports gambling
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UW-L, La Crosse City Council, Scrappin’ on the Ranch
Places: La Crosse, Wisconsin, Pickwick, Minn.
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