Kansas: tribe obtains approval to build casino in Park City

Chief Bill Friend of Wyandotte Nation has told WBJ news partner KAKE-TV that the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma plans to open a casino in Park City about a year from now.

"We basically had a master plan developed several years ago.... We're in the process of redeveloping that master plan," Friend told KAKE. "We hope to be turning ground on the project in the next 60 to 90 days."

The approval by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney is a change in momentum for the casino project, which has sat dormant since the Department of the Interior denied the Wyandotte Nation's application to build in 2014. Sweeney's decision gave approval to Wyandotte National acquiring 10 acres of land for gaming, according to the Federal Register published last week.

Kansas attorney general Derek Schmidt has said Kansas law prohibits a casino in the county and would defend the state's legal interests if one tried to open.

Friend told KAKE that the casino would open with Class II games, including bingo and some card games. Offering Class III games such as blackjack and slot machines would require a compact with state government.

For years, casinos in Sedgwick County have been talked about and planned, but with no success.
Wichita Greyhound Park owner Phil Ruffin tried to bring slot machines to the dog track in 2007, and was buoyed by Legislative approval that sanctioned casinos statewide. But Sedgwick County residents voted it and another county casino down, spurring the Kansas Star Casino to locate just over the border with Sumner County in Mulvane.