Friday, April 13, 2007

Sebelius plans to hold bill signings across the state to mark the event,
according to a news release Monday. Sebelius will first sign the bill in
Wichita at 9:15 a.m., at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport, then fly to Dodge
City where she'll hold a bill signing at 10:30. She will then visit The
Woodlands in Kansas City for another bill signing at 12:30 p.m., and her
final bill signing will be held in Cherokee County at 2:30 p.m.. The Kansas
House has approved a measure that would allow casinos and slot machines at
dog and horse tracks. The 64-58 vote this mornign gives supporters of
expanded gambling the hope that they could end 15 years of legislative
failures. Backers of the measure say the state eventually could realize $200
million dollars a year from the hotel-and-casino complexes and tracks with
slots.
The bill would permit large tourist-attracting casinos in Ford County,
Wyandotte County, either Sedgwick or Sumner county, and either Crawford or
Cherokee counties. It also would allow 22-hundred slot machines initially,
at Wichita Greyhound Park; the Woodlands in Kansas City, Kansas, and the
now-closed Camptown Greyhound Park, in Frontenac. Sedgwick County voters
will either approve or reject a destination casino during a scheduled Aug. 7
vote. If Sedgwick County gets a casino, 22 percent of profits would go to
the state. The county would get two percent, while neighboring Sumner County
would get one percent. The bill also requires two percent to be put towards
gambling addiction treatment programs.