Topeka ? The House approved a bill Monday that would block an attempt by Mulvane officials to attract a casino to their south-central Kansas community.

The 113-9 vote Monday sends the measure to the Senate.

The bill nullifies an annexation of land by Mulvane, which is competing with Wellington for a single state-owned casino in Sumner County authorized under a 2007 law. The new gambling will be owned by the Kansas Lottery, but it will contract with a private developer to build and operate the casino.

Any casino proposal must be approved by local officials. The Sumner County Commission endorsed proposed casino sites along the Kansas Turnpike outside Wellington, but not outside Mulvane.

Last year, Mulvane annexed a snaking chain of 100-foot-wide tracts of land outside the city. It could then reach a potential casino site off the turnpike and bring it into the city limits.

The move inspired a lawsuit that’s still pending in Sumner County District Court.

Critics of Mulvane’s move argue that most of the city’s residents don’t want a casino. But Mulvane’s lobbyist has argued that it’s poor policy for the state to retroactively cancel a city’s action.