Officials hope casino gambling boosts area near KC Speedway

John Milburn

Friday, May 10, 2002 | 9:50 a.m.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Some officials gathering at the Kansas Speedway left no doubt about their desire to see legalized gambling expanded in the state.

"Dearly beloved, please give us casino gambling in Wyandotte County," Leon Daggett, general manager of the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, said in remarks during the racetrack's media day Wednesday.

Daggett and others believe bringing slot machines and other casino games to the county would promote economic development near the new speedway -- and new recreation for residents and tourists.

"We wouldn't mind being the entertainment district of Kansas City," Daggett said.

He and other officials are watching a bill in the Legislature that would allow slot machines at five pari-mutuel racetracks and one unspecified at-large site if local voters approved. Those tracks include The Woodlands, the dog and horse track located in Wyandotte County about 5 miles from the speedway.

Jeff Boerger, president of Kansas Speedway, said during the media event that track officials were "politically neutral" on the issue but see the proposal as friendly to motorsports. NASCAR and other major racing leagues regularly race in cities with gambling, such as Las Vegas.

"We're generally not too concerned," Boerger said, noting that Ameristar Casino was a sponsor of the speedway's Indy Racing League race in July.

Complicating the debate is a proposal from two northeast Kansas Indian tribes -- the Kickapoo and the Sac and Fox tribes -- to combine their separate casinos and move the operation to Wyandotte County. The tribes have said they would offer the state a share of the profits to get it to enter into a gambling compact.

Daggett said he has always supported expanded gambling at The Woodlands to help keep the troubled track open but would not oppose a tribal casino.

The two tribes have proposed putting their casino near the speedway, where 400 acres have been designated for commercial development. Tenants include Nebraska Furniture, Cabela's outfitters and Great Wolf Lodge.