Topeka Capital-Journal, The: Sebelius to ask lawmakers to approve complex near Kansas Speedway

Tribal gaming plan to resurface

The roulette wheel is still spinning on a proposed tribal gaming compact that could bring a flashy $210 million casino and hotel to the growing commercial hub around the Kansas Speedway, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday.

Despite a move by House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, to stall the Democratic governor's deal with two tribes, Sebelius said she intended to again ask legislators to reconsider a plan that would bring 1,500 jobs to Wyandotte County and as much as $50 million a year in new revenue to the state treasury.

"It's very much still alive," she said in an interview. "That's still very viable."

Sebelius unveiled the compact with the Kickapoo and Sac & Fox tribes in October. The Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations forwarded the agreement in November to the Legislative Coordinating Council, which could have taken binding action on the deal since the full Legislature wasn't in session.

However, Mays kept the LCC from considering the compact. Mays, LCC chairman, declined to place the resolution on the agenda at a pivotal meeting in November. That means Sebelius must restart the approval process. This time, it would go to the full House and Senate for a vote rather than the LCC.

Mays said he would move to advance the compact to a vote if it emerged in the House. He gave it a 50-50 chance of passing the House.

Under the deal, the state would receive approximately $50 million a year in "revenue sharing" in exchange for shielding the new casino from competition. Specifically, the number of slot machines at pari- mutuel racetracks would be limited.

The proposed agreement differs from previous deals in that the four tribal casinos now operating in Kansas don't provide any revenue to the state.