There was a feeling of deja vu to the Legislature’s initial discussions of expanded gambling last week. A bill emerged that would limit new casinos to Kansas City, Kan., and southeast Kansas and allow only slot machines at Wichita Greyhound Park and two other sites, but competing special interests still could cancel one another out entirely. And Wichita, the most natural casino market in the state, again risks being shut out, thanks to the lack of consensus among local government leaders and active opposition by local legislators. On the likelihood of any gambling expansion, House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, was even quoted by Associated Press as saying, “Simple is better, although Wichita is still a problem. If you take Wichita out of the picture, you pick up a lot of votes.” Many Wichitans already gamble and would like to do so in their hometown, according to opinion polls. Will local leaders ever get together on this issue?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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28 Comments
I am wondering why no one is mentioning the “obvious” conflict of interest Susan Wagle has with the gaming bill. Wouldn’t it be in Susan Wagle’s best “personal ” interest to vote down gaming AGAIN? I am told Susan Wagle owns some Bingo parlors in the local area. I am sure if Wichita Greyhound Park was allowed to have slot machines, the local bingo business would suffer.
Is it true that Indian casinos in Oklahoma make contributions to our state officials? It looks as if they are being rewarded for keeping gaming an “Indian only” business in Kansas.I believe these subjects need some research, where’s an investigative reporter when you need one? Thanks for the opportunity. See ya in the unemployment line…..
Rhonda, more truthiness, ya know make the story what you want not what it is. I am an active member of Stand Up For Kansas and we track every poll done on this subject. There have actually been more polls finding Wichitans don’t want gambling than those that do. Come on!
Marty,Visited the site of the organization you list above. Can you provide any links to back up your claim about “more polls finding Wichitans don’t want gambling than those that do”?
Thank you.
Why did your group OPPOSE the only kind of poll that would really mean anything – a VOTE?
As for a link to all the polls, I have asked Glen to provide the exact polls and any links that may be available. He did list these in his debate in Harvey County – so I know he has them and I will pass the info on.
As for why “my organization” was against the vote. First, I thought that stance was wrong and voiced it at the October meeting. I think we should be allowed to vote on this and many other subjects that are critical to the state and local area. I do wonder though Ben, if you support a vote a casinos do you also support a vote on taxes, such as TABOR?
Yes, I do support a vote. Just as with the ill-advised “State-Ownership-of-the-Means-of-Production Arena”.
A comment about your organization: We have seen a similar organization that set out to protect morals and see to it that government enforced Scripture and that there be Morals Police to set the citizens straight. In fact, we recently overthrew that government in Afghanistan.
By the way, did your polls also show Harvey County opposed to allowing freedom to choose whether to go to a casino? How did that election turn out?
I would just appreciate an honest look at the subject instead of the usual Eagle plug for it. We have a hundred casinos around the country so maybe the New Eagle Owners will come out neutral and dig a bit.How much tax money does the average casino pay?How much do the local losers have to lose to get it?How much do the other problems cost the nearby cities?What, if any, crimes increase and what is that cost?
Simple math can make it an easy choice. Just remember, If the Tax rate is 15% someone must lose a billion to gain 150 million.
And codie, you should argue your points to me before I go and vote on it.
I have never heard of Susan Wagle owning some Bingo parlors. Nor is there any known contributions to our state officials unless you consider EX mayor Knight. As pro Casino as the Eagle is, they would have been all over that.
A serious objective journalistic investigation of this issue might reveal a truth the Eagle staff does not want to reveal. What happen to the Lotto dollars that Education was suppose to receive? The Eagle staff is conspicuously missing from that truth. Revealing the truth about who is behind the pro-Casino study that Sebelius is quoting would be another example of an Eagle staff MIA.
Actually Codie, she and other anti-gambling legislators have recieved contributions from Casino operators, such as Harrahs. Those casinos do not want Kansas to allow anymore, so they actually contribute and lobby the anti-gambling people.
http://www.accesskansas.org/srv-campaignfinance/processContributorsForm.do Go there to see 4states have contributed to kansas senate.
Oh Yea, the company is HARRAHS!! Now what???http://www.accesskansas.org/srv-campaignfinance/processItemizedForm.do
Out – of – state contributions to the kansas senate.http://www.accesskansas.org/srv-campaignfinance/processItemizedForm.do
You can search from the link provided.
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/SideIndustry.phtml?si=200416
Here’s a story about Wagle and bingo – http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2000/07/31/story4.html
We had this same debate back in the early 1980’s over pari-mutual gambling and liquor by the drink. Then, as now, we had a handful of religious people predicting hell and damnation for all of Kansas if such measures were allowed to pass.
Gambling questions have been put to the voters in a numbers of counties, as a non-binding question. In the vast majority of these counties, the question has passed by a comfortable margin. In only one county did the measure fail, and the margin was razor thin.
It’s obvious to anyone that the only solution to this debate is to put the issue on the August Ballot.
If the voters approve gambling, as I am sure they will, then the county option kicks in, just as it did with pari-mutual and liquor by the drink in 1986.
In the Opinion Line today there was the following: “How many Sedgwick County legislators received contributions from the American Indian tribes to vote against gambling in Sedgwick County? Were they bought off? We need to know.”
Well here it is:
HUY, BONNIE7/23/2002 PRAIRE BAND POTOWATOMI NATION $2507/28/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2009/18/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/20/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/9/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $30012/13/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25010/3/2002 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY $20010/21/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY INC $2007/30/2004 HARRAHS $200$2,600HUEBERT, STEVE10/18/2002 HARRAH’S ENTERTAINMENT INC $20012/19/2003 HARRAH’S ENTERTAINMENT INC $2009/27/2004 HARRAHS $1007/27/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2508/2/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $20010/2/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25010/24/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/13/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25012/18/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $300$2,250BRUNK, STEVE7/24/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2507/29/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $20010/3/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/22/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/17/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $300$1,750MCLELAND, JOE10/21/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY INC $20010/26/2002 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY, INC $2007/30/2004 HARRAHS OPERATING COMPANY INC $2007/23/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2507/28/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2009/18/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/25/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/9/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $30012/13/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $250$2,600GOICO, MARIO10/3/2002 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY $20010/21/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY INC $2008/3/2004 HARRAHS ENTERTAINMENT INC $1007/23/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2509/18/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/23/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/9/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $300$2,050
DECASTRO, WILLA10/15/2002 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY $20011/13/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY INC $2008/30/2004 HARRAHS $2007/24/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $2507/28/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $20010/3/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/29/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/17/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $30012/18/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25012/18/2001 RUFFIN, PHIL $125$2,725LANDWEHR, BRENDA11/24/1998 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY $15012/30/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY INC $20012/10/2002 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY, INC $20010/12/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/10/2002 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25012/28/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $25012/30/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $30012/31/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/22/1998 RUFFIN, PHIL $150$2,500WAGLE, SUSAN12/29/2003 HARRAH’S OPERATING COMPANY $2508/5/2004 HARRAHS OPERATING COMPANY $5009/1/1999 HARRAHS OPERATING COMPANY $20010/16/2000 HARRAHS OPERATING COMPANY $5008/2/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $15012/16/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50012/20/2001 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $35010/28/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMIE NATION $1,000$3,450
JOURNEY, PHIL9/17/2004 HARRAHS OPERATING COMPANY $5008/24/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $50010/26/2004 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $1,00012/19/2003 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION $500$2,500
BEAUTIFUL! The Eagle should publish all those numbers on the front page.
Dr. ZoomGood digging but they are all legal. What I want to know is:Was the legislator anti gambling so they donated,OR was the legislator Pro gambling and the donation was made and votes were changed?
I donated to a legislator that holds my opinion. I assume you do too.
Codie, Codie, Codie:Yes they are all legal, but the point is these are all legislators who OPPOSE gaming in Wichita. Now look who is supporting there position. Legal is one thing ethical is another.
If this sounds familiar take a look over your shoulder and see if the ghost of Jack Abramoff is closing in on your apologetic attitude towards those who seem more concerned with gaining power instead of representing their own stated values.
The whole idea of government okaying Indian gambling casinos is ridiculous. The whole idea of legalized state gambling via lottery and scratch off sales is ridiculous.
Why? Because the government says YOU can’t gamble by having a card game in your house. Or opening your own casino, or throwing dice, or even betting on the super bowl. It’s okay for the government to do it, but not you. Ever wonder why that is? It’s the little things that add up to the big things.
Some simple truths: Money “kept” by our state government from lottery sales does not make the lottery corrupt and immoral. It does point out the corruption in our state government. Harrahs and other gaming institutions giving to local politicians for what ever gain is common among most businesses. Jockeying for position and all that. Accepting money from “gaming businesses” to oppose gaming businesses might possibly be a little un-ethical. Don’t you think?? Sounds like the problem is with our local and state government. Just wish they would allow the people to choose by putting it to a vote. Plain and simple.
Judging by the numbers above, our local pols can be had cheap. It figures.
It is a CRIME our little American school kids don’t have enough money for schools and a good education. You conservatitives are running our country in to the GROUND! You conservatitive nuts are worried about crime? Why does your party spend us so broke all that is left for so many is crime? The big CEO’s steal pensions from workers, Enron steals, the big oil companies steal us blind. Ill take a sound economy with solid manufacturing jobs and a balanced budget to keep American jobs in America. The conservatitive lie is to have look a abortion and give your retirement you worked yout whole life for to the big CEO crooks and oil companies. Our kids need money for for a decent education and schools. The casinos my be the last employer to honor pensions and provide health care after all the consrevative lies and raping the American public! Wake up …. it’s for the kids! Its for America! Before Bush has us way to far in debt without health care and without the retriements we all worked for. Yes ther is crime in America! Lets don’t let it happen to our kids who are not getting the education they need in America!
Uncle Sam
codie – the gambling interests contributed to the ‘anti-gambling’ legislators to make sure they voted against any competition. That is in keeping with GOP tradition as exemplified by Abraboff and his beneficiaries Tiahrt and Brownback.
The point is Vote for whatever side you are for! The Eagle will tell you their positions the week before any election.All these CEOs you liberals are babbling about are headed to jail just as the gambling losers that tap the till to pay the rent.
Codie:
give it up!
you are a just a lame apologist for a point of view that will not wash when we the people get the vote with our ballot or our dollars