The odds that gambling will expand in Kansas were bad to begin with, given how competing interests tend to cancel one another out in Topeka. Those odds just got worse, though, with declarations by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, that they’ll work against the efforts to get federal approval for off-reservation tribal casinos in Kansas. One such casino has been variously proposed for Park City, Harvey County and Sumner County. Others have been in the works for Wyandotte and Cherokee counties. But it’s highly unlikely that Interior Secretary Gale Norton would OK any off-reservation casino against the wishes of the state’s congressional delegation. “I think it’s in significant jeopardy,” Matt All, chief counsel to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, told Associated Press after hearing from Tiahrt and Brownback. That’s more bad news for Kansans who’d like to gamble closer to home — good news for Oklahoma and northeast Kansas tribal casinos.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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