Kansas Extends Casino Gambling Application Deadline Again

Apparently casino development companies are not put off by the state of Kansas and their deadlines to submit applications to run a casino in the Southeast Gaming Zone. On Tuesday, the deadline was extended after nobody applied before the January 21st deadline date.

The process of bringing four casinos to Kansas has been a long, drawn out mess up until this point. The Kansas Lottery Commission did choose four applicants the first time around, but three of the four developers pulled out of the deals.

The timing could not be worse for Kansas. The economy is what drove two of the three developers to go back on their original agreements. A third, Penn National, was simply concerned that they did not have the ability to compete with a neighboring tribal casino.

Cherokee County is not allowing Penn National to walk away clean from the deal. They have filed a breach of contract lawsuit and they are seeking $52 million in damages. Local developers are also seeking an additional $37.5 million in damages from Penn National.

The minimum investment is the main reason why no developers have jumped at the opportunity to run a casino in Cherokee County. That investment, they say, needs to be lowered due to the economic climate in the US. Up until now, state lawmakers have rejected attempts to have the investment fee lowered.

Instead, the Commission has pushed back the deadline date to Monday, July 20th. It is possible that the Commission keeps pushing back the date with the hope that the economy will start to recover and developers will once again show interest.

April 23, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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