Rejection of expanded gambling in Sedgwick County gives neighboring Sumner County the exclusive franchise for a resort-style casino in south-central Kansas.

Janis Hellard, Sumner County Economic Development Commission director, said Wednesday that four developers already are working on proposals and a half dozen others have expressed interest.

“We can’t wait to showcase our county to the world,” Hellard said. “We were planning to put in a plan in competition with Sedgwick County.”

She said the most likely location would be near one of the three Kansas Turnpike interchanges in the county.

“That is where the developers are focusing because we have the visibility from the turnpike,” she said. “The land around the interchanges is open farmland.”

Provisional ballots

The gambling law enacted this year created four casino zones, including one in south-central Kansas that includes Sumner and Sedgwick counties. Sedgwick County had been considered the favorite because it includes Wichita.

But voters Tuesday rejected both the destination casino and slot machines at Wichita Greyhound Park. The casino failed with 56 percent of voters against it, while slots at the track failed by only 343 votes.

Doug Lawrence, executive director of the Kansas Greyhound Association, said owner Phil Ruffin plans to close the track – which employs some 300 people – if a count of provisional ballots Monday doesn’t reverse the vote.

“The casino question is clearly a done deal, and there won’t be another vote on that for 25 years as the law is written,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think the election on slot machines at the track is over until they could count the provisional ballots.”

County Election Commissioner Bill Gale said there are at least 1,000 provisional ballots – those set aside because the voter’s eligibility is unclear. He said it’s unlikely those votes would alter the outcome.

“The provisional ballots tend to follow the trend of who is ahead, but not always, so it’s possible,” he said.

Reallocation of slots

Sedgwick was the last county to vote on the gambling question and the only one to reject it. The law requires voter approval in counties where there will be expanded gambling.

The law allows casinos in Ford County, Wyandotte County, either Cherokee or Crawford counties and either Sedgwick or Sumner counties.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who backs expanded gambling, said the vote was “obviously disappointing to the supporters of a casino there,” but added, “The voters of Kansas have spoken.”

Kansas Lottery Director Ed Van Petten said the 800 slots allocated last month by the Lottery Commission for Wichita will go to the Woodlands horse and dog track in Kansas City, and the dog track at Frontenac.

He said no decision will be made on how to divide machines until October. The commission allocated 800 slots at the Woodlands and 600 for Frontenac. The law allows no more than 2,800 slots at all tracks and no more than 1,600 at any one track.

Legal challenge may surface

Van Petten estimates slots could be at the tracks next year, while it will be two or three years before the casinos open.

The lottery will own the casinos and the slots at the tracks, but the law says the state can hire private companies to manage the facilities – although that could face a legal challenge to be settled by the Kansas Supreme Court.

The American Gaming Association says 11 other states have commercial casinos, but none with state-run resort casinos as Kansas will have.

Mike Taylor, spokesman for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., said officials are expecting eight to 12 casino proposals.

“That zone is far enough that it will not have any impact on us, certainly not in terms of the kind of proposals we will receive,” he said of Wichita’s vote. “The fact that the greyhound park will close could drive more traffic to the Woodlands.”

‘Never a consideration’

Hellard said the focus in Sumner County always has been on a casino. She said when voters endorsed casinos in 2005, the question of racetrack slots wasn’t on the ballot.

“Our focus has been on building a casino. The track was never a consideration,” Hellard said.

She declined to name the developers but said they would have proposals ready for the Lottery Commission by the mid-November deadline.

But, she added, county officials may ask for a deadline extension if developers need extra time. Last month, the commission extended the Unified Government’s deadline to Dec. 31 to submit its choices for a casino.