KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? The price of opening a tribal casino in Wyandotte County appears to be submitting to the toughest state regulation in the nation.

The state is insisting that it be the casino’s “primary” regulatory authority as negotiations continued with two tribes that have jointly proposed a $210 million casino in suburban Kansas City, Kan., said Matt All, chief counsel to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

“The issues of regulation are critical,” All said. “The site is off reservation and is the most visible location in the state.

“It is essential for the state to have the primary role in regulating this facility … making sure the games are fair and run with integrity.”

Under current law, the nation’s 330 tribal gambling facilities are essentially self-regulated by in-house tribal gaming commissions, with limited oversight by state and federal gaming authorities.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the National Indian Gaming Commission last year issued only eight enforcement actions. That federal agency’s 79 employees operate this year under an $11 million budget.

In contrast, the Missouri Gaming Commission has an annual budget of about $15 million. Its 188 employees oversee 11 commercial casinos.

Tribal compact negotiations in Kansas are not public, and neither side is saying much. But regulatory control appears to present a challenge to traditional tribal sovereignty and could be a sticking point.

Sebelius and the tribes have been in negotiations since spring, when an agreement at one time seemed imminent.

Emily Conklin, vice chairwoman of the Kickapoo Tribe, described the latest round of talks as “very productive.” She said the sides hoped an agreement could be reached by Labor Day.

Conklin declined to comment, noting that public discussion “may adversely affect the outcome.”