Kansas Senate Majority Declines to Expand Legalized Gambling

Kansas Senate Majority Declines to Expand Legalized Gambling

Kansas Senate Majority Declines to Expand Legalized Gambling
The Kansas state Senate has just defeated a proposal that would have expanded legalized racetrack slot machine and casino gambling. The bill, put before lawmakers as a possible solution to the critical school funding budget crunch, was defeated by only four votes, with four senators abstaining.

The proposal would have allowed the building of a casino in Kansas City, as well as up to 5,000 slot gaming machines distributed among racetracks in Kansas City, Wichita, Frontenac, and Dodge City. The facilities would have netted the state an estimated $200 million per year. As much as $660 million over three years of the proceeds would have gone, according to proponents of the plan, to fund Kansas’ educational system. .

“By the year 2008 we’re going to be engulfed in hundreds of millions of dollars in red ink,” said Senate Vice President John Vratil, a Leawood Republican who voted for the bill. “If gambling is not your way to solve that problem, then tell me what your way is?” .

However, the majority of Kansas senators said that legalizing more forms of gambling is not the right way to fund schools. They also said that they were skeptical of claims that the proposed casinos and slot machines at dog and horse race tracks would help the economy; they feared that it was more likely that the gambling expansion would help out- of- state gambling operators. .

“It’s an absolute mirage,” said Sen. Les Donovan, a Wichita Republican, regarding all of the promises of community and state economic development made by the gambling operators. “Go to Vegas and look up the hotel named Mirage. It is the perfect name for this type of operation.” .

The legislation was also opposed by some gambling interests, such as the state’s Indian tribes, who say that any casino built in Kansas should be on reservation land. Lana Oleen, a former Senator who now works as a lobbyist for the Kansas Tribal Economic Development Association, said that the Senate could prevent the profits from gambling from disappearing across the Kansas borders by allowing the state’s Native Americans to develop a casino. .

“The money stays in Kansas because the tribes are in Kansas,” she argued. .

Top figures in the state supported the bill, and said that they will continue to support attempts to expand gambling. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is one powerful Kansas official who would have liked to see funds from gambling go to schools. .

Her chief counsel, Matt All, said that: “We think that Kansans want a responsible, limited expansion of gambling to fund schools. It’s unfortunate the Legislature hasn’t seen fit to give Kansans what they want.”

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