Penn National Pulls Casino Proposal in Kansas

Penn National was fully ready to make their move into Kansas' casino market. That was before, however, the company was denied in their proposal for a casino in Sumner County. Some now believe that not getting that contract has caused the company to pull its bid in Cherokee County.

Penn National would have received the casino in Cherokee County due to the fact that they were the only ones who were bidding on it. They decided, that they did not want that casino on Thursday.

The company cited several different reasons for pulling their bid. They felt that they could not compete with the Quapaw Tribes casino that opened this past summer in Oklahoma. They claim that the venture in Cherokee County required too much of an investment.

The Legislature did not envision the speed with which their project was developed or even the fact that their project could be developed. We were looking for a way to try to make it work despite the competition across the street," said a Penn National Vice President, Eric Schippers.

The casino in Oklahoma literally is across the street from the proposed spot in Cherokee where Penn would have built their casino. The parking lot for the Quapaw Tribe is actually in Kansas.

In Sumner County, Harrah's Entertainment was the group that landed the contract. That was a major factor in Penn's decision to pull out of the Cherokee project.

September 12, 2008
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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