The House Federal and State Affairs Committee is likely to discuss 3 bills tomorrow concerning expanded gaming in Kansas. The bills could be amended to allow either racinos at pari-mutuel racetracks or allow casinos near the neighbouring state borders of Missouri and Oklahoma. At present the Kansas gambling scene is limited to tribal casinos and its lottery.

One bill, which has already been passed in the Senate, will allow the state lottery to continue without having to be renewed repeatedly by the Legislature. A second bill calls for a constitutional amendment to end the requirement that all gambling operations must be state owned. The third bill calls for a legislative study group to assess the economic benefits of gambling to Kansas. A possible amendment to the lottery bill, to allow casinos or slot machines, has already been worked out in a bipartisan deal outside the formal committee proceedings.

The chairman of the Federal and State Affairs Committee, who does not favour turning the Kansas racetracks into racinos, has stated that casinos would ideally be sited across from the gambling boats in Missouri as well as near Oklahoma’s Indian casinos. Testimony has already been heard by the Committee on various gambling proposals. Expanding gaming opportunity in Kansas still has many opponents and the prospective debate tomorrow will be hard fought on both sides. (E-03.22.07)

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