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Kansas Casino Plans Outlined

"The proposed facility would be developed and financed by the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas and the Sac and Fox Nation, two of the state's four indigenous tribes, all of whom operate casinos in northeast Kansas.

"It is the latest in a long series of expanded gaming plans the Legislature has seen in recent years.

"…If it does become reality, though, it could produce millions of dollars in revenue and add to the rapidly developing Speedway area.

"…Such a complex also could spell competitive trouble for the area's four Missouri-side casinos. Five years ago, the Kansas City market could not support five casinos, and one of them closed.

"…The tribes already have been talking to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and key members of her staff about creating a compact between the tribes and the state.

"…The possibility of the state sharing in the project's profits has attracted legislative attention. In return, the tribes would get a compact clause assuring them that Kansas would approve no other new gambling projects.

"…The proposal could be a tougher sell at the federal level. Interior Secretary Gale Norton recently outlined the Bush administration's opposition to the emerging trend of tribes building casinos on land bought far from their historic -- and often remote – reservations…"

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