Thursday, April 20, 2000 | 9:56 a.m.
TOPEKA, Kan. - A vote in the Senate is unlikely on a bill that would permit slot machines at dog and horse tracks, President Dick Bond says.
Bond and Minority Leader Anthony Hensley say they don't want senators to debate the gambling bill without assurances from its backers that it stands a good chance of passing. The two leaders are reluctant to call for a vote even though both men support the proposal.
"If it's not clear the votes are there to pass it, it makes no sense to run it," Bond, R-Overland Park, said Wednesday. "At this point, it's unlikely."
A final decision to schedule a debate on the bill rests with Majority Leader Tim Emert. Emert, R-Independence, already has said he doesn't think most senators are eager for a vote because they oppose the legislation.
Hensley, D-Topeka, said: "I don't think we need to go through the exercise of voting on the issue once again unless there's a reasonable assurance the votes are there."
The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene April 26. The gambling bill received the endorsement of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee before legislators began their 2half -week spring break.
The bill would permit slots and other electronic gambling machines at Wichita Greyhound Park; The Woodlands in Kansas City, and Camptown Greyhound Park, north of Pittsburg. Voters in each of their home counties must approve the new gambling first, however.
Twenty percent of the revenues raised by the machines would go to the state for education programs. The tracks would get 69 percent, but they have said their expenses would eat up most of their share.
The Senate rejected a similar bill last year, 13-27. Race track operators and their lobbyists have expressed optimism that they have picked up votes, but Bond said he believes the bill won't pass.
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