Kansas Legislators Debate Slots Operation in Racetracks
It was recently reported that a Kansas Senate committee is scheduled to vote on a bill today that would allow state racetracks to operate slot machines. According to some casino industry experts, the operation of slots at Kansas racetracks is expected to generate approximately $152 million in the coming year, of which as much as $38 million would go back to local governments to subsidize property tax cuts.
In addition, those who support the expanded gambling bill maintain that it is a way to generate additional revenue to help finance a proposal to invest an additional $660 million in public education over the next three years. Paul Treadwell, Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association President, said that it is time to keep gambling dollars within the state, instead of losing them to neighboring states that already offer slots gambling to casino and racetrack visitors.
However, some have a different take on the slots gambling issue. Lana Oleen, a former Senate majority leader currently representing the Kansas Tribal Economic Development Association, is among those who vehemently oppose the bill. Oleen was reported as saying that the slots bill was reworked several times before it was officially introduced. According to Oleen, after each revision of the bill, track owners were given more and more of the potential profits.
