Kansas Lottery Commission officials said they will hear proposals from investor groups interested in developing a casino in the state’s southeast gaming zone on April 15. Then, on April 21, commissioners will visit the proposed casino site of the group or groups whose contracts are approved. A seven-member panel will review the contracts and have 60 days to choose one that will have to undergo a background check.
Meanwhile, the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facilities Review Board recently hired Union Gaming, at a cost of $477,965, as its consultant in the casino-selection process. Union Gaming was the only applicant for consultant position.
Board member Kevin Cook said, “This group does comprise of six consulting groups. They’ve previously done consulting with the state of Kansas in the area of gaming, and have experience across the nation and internationally in the area of gaming. We considered rebidding it, but after we reviewed it, although they were they sole bidder, they were highly qualified. We feel rebidding is unnecessary.”
In addition, revenue projections recently were released by two of the three casino-group competitors. Cherokee and Crawford Counties and the city of Pittsburg each would receive 1 percent of the revenue generated by the $62 million Kansas Crossing Casino in Pittsburg, said spokeswoman Carrie Tedore. The property would offer 500 slots and 100 hotel rooms.
The $145 million Castle Rock Casino would direct 2 percent of gaming revenue, or $1.6 million, to Cherokee County, where it would be located, and $800,000 to Crawford County, said Greg Ferris, a consultant for the project. That casino would be built in Cherokee County. Ferris noted Castle Rock would be twice the size of Kansas Crossing. Castle Rock would offer 1,400 slots and 200 hotel rooms.
Las Vegas billionaire Phil Ruffin also is competing for the southeast zone license but would not release revenue projects. The Emerald City Casino would locate in the former Camptown Greyhound Park at Frontenac in Crawford County, which Ruffin owns. Earlier the Quapaw Tribe’s Downstream Casino pulled out of a partnership with Ruffin after Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt filed a lawsuit in federal court to try to block the tribe from expanding its Downstream Casino into Kansas. That casino is located in Oklahoma but its parking lot is just over the state line in Kansas.
