Kansas Casino Travesty Takes A Scandalous Turn

The state of Kansas is simply having no luck when it comes to adding four new casinos. They have been trying for years, and either the economy, the developers, or the general mishandling of the casino license process has caused the state to still not have any of the casinos built.

Now, they can add a scandalous affair to the list of things that may once again slow the process. Michael Ensign is one of the principles in a Prairie Sky casino proposal. His son, has had an affair, and allegations are surfacing that Ensign paid the family of the woman $96,000.

The Kansas Lottery Commission is keeping a close eye on the outcome of the allegations. Should it turn out to be true that the family violated federal campaign laws with the payments, it would put the casino proposal in Kansas in jeopardy.

"Right now, we're aware there's an investigation going on," said Ed Van Petten, Executive Director of the Kansas Lottery, "if it is found that there was wrongdoing, that would have an effect on things."

Voters in the state of Kansas approved casino gambling back in 2006. Since then, the state has butchered the process of securing developers to build and run the state-owned casinos. The economy had a big part in hurting the state's efforts.

Penn National pulled out of their agreement with the state last year because they felt their product would not be strong enough to compete with a neighboring tribal casino in Oklahoma. They have since placed another proposal at the laps of the Commission.

If the Commission decides to go with Penn National for a second time, it could end up being a case of "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." At this point, however, any contract would be a victory for the state.

The only one of the four approved zones where a casino is actually in the process of being built in Dodge City. Other counties are waiting on a developer decision.

August 2, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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