Although many Kansas residents may doubt that the market can support four new casinos in the state, multiple proposals from companies that want to build and operate them seems to say otherwise.

With the last deadline just past, all four approved locations for state-owned casinos in Kansas have at least one application pending with the Kansas Lottery, which will own the new casinos and contract with developers to build and manage the facilities. The state law approved this year allows for one casino in each of four counties: Wyandotte, Sumner, Ford and either Cherokee or Crawford.

Only one application was received for the southeast Kansas casino, but multiple applications were received for casinos in Wyandotte and Sumner counties and in Dodge City (Ford County).

So, ready or not, Kansas is about to get into the casino business.

The applicants include Kansas-based groups as well as Las Vegas companies. Wyandotte County is perhaps the hottest prospect for a casino that could piggyback on crowds drawn to the retail and entertainment venues adjacent to the Kansas Speedway. Despite the fact that four casinos already are operating in Kansas City, Mo., developers still think there is a market for more gambling operations on the Kansas side of the metro.

One reason cited by a Las Vegas developer that has submitted an application for Wyandotte County is that a Kansas casino wouldn’t be subject to the Missouri law that limits a gambler’s losses to $500 every two hours. The fact that Kansas has no such law provides “a competitive advantage,” according to the a spokesman for the developer.

As one would expect, the pressure is on in Missouri to dump the loss limit law. Their fear of competition from Kansas is understandable, but some would wonder whether removing the loss limits is the right step. The law was put into place as a hedge against the damaging social impacts of legalized gambling. Perhaps Kansas should be looking at more restrictions rather than Missouri looking at fewer.

After many years of attempts to legalize non-tribal casinos in Kansas, the current law slid through the last session of the Legislature with amazing ease. With willing developers waiting in the wings, we’ll soon find out whether the development and operation of four state-owned casinos will proceed as smoothly.