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Casino Developers Offer State Funding Solution

KANSAS – As reported by the Wichita Business Journal: "Developers behind a destination casino in Park City have a plan to create state-owned Indian gaming casinos and use licensing fees to help fund the state's education funding shortfall.

"The idea requires the Legislature to pass a bill giving the Kansas Lottery the ownership of three destination casinos.

"The Lottery would grant management contracts to Indian tribes to build and operate each casino -- the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska would build its casino in Park City, the Sac and Fox and Kickapoo tribes in Wyandotte County and all four tribes in Kansas would work together to build a casino in Crawford County.

"The tribes would pay $50 million up front as a licensing fee for the three casinos, generating $150 million for education funding. The proposal also calls for each casino to share revenue with the state each year. The formula -- 12 percent of a casino's first $100 million in gross revenue plus 22 percent of gross revenue over $100 million -- is part of the Indian gaming compact that the governor's office has already negotiated with the Sac and Fox and Kickapoo for the Wyandotte County casino proposal.

"…The Kansas Supreme Court recently ruled that the Legislature needed to spend an additional $143 million on education and lawmakers are preparing for a special session in an effort to meet the court's mandate…"

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