On May 22nd, 2008, after almost two days of reviewing the proposals of eleven competing casino developers, the Kansas Lottery Commission has decided to postpone the voting until next week on which proposals they will endorse because the signed agreements have not been accomplished. With the push coming from the Lottery staff, the commission commented that they would be able to accomplish the May 27th, 2008 deadline for signing agreements with those companies that want to operate state owned and state managed casino facilities in Wyandotte, Ford and Sumner Counties.
Earlier, the Lottery Commission has endorsed a gaming contract with Penn National Gaming Incorporated, who is the lone bidder for a 4th casino site in Cherokee County. The Lottery Commission must decide on whether the prospective casino applicants meet the requirements to manage a state owned casino. For the counties of Cherokee, Sumner and Wyandotte, that will include a minimum investment of $225 million and a privilege cost of $25 million.
For the Ford County, a prospective developer must invest $50 million and pay the $5 million fee. The Lottery executive director Ed Van Petten commented that no one from the eleven prospective developers that have appeared before the commission has signed an agreement, although a contract was signed with one developer that he could not name. One of the issues involved in the talks is how much profit the state will receive.
According to the law, the state is entitled to receive a minimum of 22% of the profits but officials of the lottery are hoping to improve that percentage. Once the lottery approves the contracts, they will pass it to the review board. The board will then conduct their own study on the contracts.
The review board plans to hold public hearings on July 9th, 2008 in Cherokee County, July 10th, 2008 and July 11th, 2008 in Sumner County, July 31st, 2008 in Ford County and August 13th, 2008 and August 15th, 2008 in Wyandotte County. The review board plans to choose the managers for the casinos in Cherokee and Sumner Counties on August 21st, 2008 and August 22nd, 2008 and Ford and Wyandotte's casinos on September 18th, 2008 and September 19th, 2008.
Both casino proposals in Ford County have the old west background of Dodge City. It will also offer additional amenities like a conference facility, restaurants, bars, merchandise stores, spas and pools.
Butler National Service Corporation from Olathe wants to manage the Boot Hill Casino and Resort. The company plans to invest $93 million for a casino that will offer 875 slot machines and a 124 room hotel and it would open on September 2011. But the company is planning first to construct a temporary casino on its location west of Dodge City, with 575 slot machines aside from food and beverage services that would open on September 2009.
Dodge City Resort and Gaming, which includes the Ingenus Management and Consulting from Brainerd, Minnesota, proposed before the Lottery Commission a $112 million investment for its Dodge City Casino facility. The plan includes a temporary casino facility that offers 800 slot machines that would open between March and May 2009.
Those slot machines would be shipped to the casino when it is finished together with a one hundred twenty-five room hotel and other features. It plans to open on October 2010. The Kansas Lottery Commission also reviewed proposals from five prospective developers that want to manage the casino facility in Wyandotte County, near the Kansas Speedway.
Aside from a casino facility that offers slot machines and casino table games, there will also be a luxury hotel, golf courses, restaurants, convention facility, retails stores, health spas and pools.
06/02/2008 02:48 PM
Ann Pettersson