Kansas Supreme Court gives green light to casinos

Kansas Supreme Court gives green light to casinos The Kansas Supreme Court upheld on Friday the 2007 gambling law that allows for four large casinos to be built across the state. The SC ruling permits the competition among three casino developers to continue in Sumner County, where a large facility now is likely to be built in Mulvane or Wellington. The Sumner Resorts-Harrah's Kansas has proposed a casino near Mulvane, while Penn National Gaming and Marvel Gaming have proposed their own facilities near Wellington. A special site selection committee will decide by late September which of the casinos can proceed.

The question, brought forth by the attorney general's office, was whether the proposed casinos would adhere to a Kansas Constitution requirement that gambling be owned and operated by the state. According to the deal with the state, the developers will own the buildings and the equipment in the casinos, as well as operate the casinos, but the majority ownership will belong to the state, which will control how the revenue from the casinos are distributed. The Supreme Court ruling also noted that the state will receive gambling revenue, own casino software, monitor electronic games and have the authority to enter into management contracts and supervise casino managers.

Published on 06/28/2008