Lottery Requests More Time to Negotiate Casino Contracts

TOPEKA, KAN. – During a special meeting today, the Kansas Lottery Commission voted to request that Governor Sebelius extend the deadlines for the Lottery to negotiate contracts with casino developers in the state’s four gaming zones. Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten and the Lottery Commission will ask the Governor for a 60-day extension of the deadlines, which she is expected to approve.

Included in Senate Bill 66, the bill authorizing expanded gaming, is a provision allowing the Governor to extend deadlines for a period not to exceed 60 days if she determines that “the respective commission or board has acted on good faith to comply with the time limit.” In requesting the deadline extensions, Van Petten said it’s taking longer than expected to organize all aspects of the process and write contracts with developers.

The previous deadlines and the new deadlines the Lottery is requesting are as follows:

Southeast Zone (Cherokee and Crawford counties)
Previous deadline – March 5, 2008
New deadline – May 5, 2008

Southwest Zone (Ford County)
Previous deadline – March 25, 2008
New deadline – May 27, 2008

South Central Zone (Sumner County)
Previous deadline – March 27, 2008
New deadline – May 27, 2008

Northeast Zone (Wyandotte County)
Previous deadline – March 28, 2008
New deadline – May 27, 2008

Thirteen proposals have been submitted by developers seeking to become lottery gaming facility managers. The Lottery will write contracts with all developers that qualify and forward those contracts to the seven-member Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board, which will select one developer for each of the four gaming zones.

The next regular meeting of the Kansas Lottery Commission is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2008. The meeting will be held in-person at the Kansas Lottery, located at 128 North Kansas Ave. in Topeka.

Parties interested in listening to the March 12 Lottery Commission meeting may do so by accessing the conference line at the Lottery’s expense:
Dial 1-877-278-8686
Enter PIN 789296