Ford County casino remains on track

With the state’s four-casino agenda suddenly shaken by the withdrawals of two developers, officials of Ford County and Butler National Service Corp. say plans for a Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Dodge City remain firmly on track.

“I believe the only real thing we have to say is we still plan to go forward,” Clark Stewart, president of Olathe-based Butler National, told the Dodge City Daily Globe. “That’s the key item out of all of this.”

Kansas Lottery spokeswoman Sally Lunsford confirmed Stewart’s assurances. So far, she said, there were no foreseeable hiccups in plans for Butler National to develop the Ford County casino.

“Nothing has changed,” Lunsford said. “We have certainly not heard anything that would lead us to the conclusion that they’re pulling out.”

A 2007 Kansas law provides for one state-owned casino in each of four regions, with private firms designing, building and managing the enterprises. The Kansas Lottery will own the actual gambling and holds the contracts with the developers.

Designated developer Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. cited the poor economy in announcing this week it could not assemble funding for a $535 million casino in the south-central region. Penn National, the chosen developer in the two-county southeast region, walked away in September, saying a new, nearby Indian casino complex in Oklahoma made the project unprofitable.

Those projects will be rebid.

For now, Ford and Wyandotte counties remain the only two zones with active projects. And some people in southwest Kansas wonder about the Dodge City project’s stability, especially as larger corporations became gun shy.

But Stewart was adamant that plans were progressing.

“We think so,” Stewart said about the likelihood that Butler’s money was a lock. “But, you never know until they give you the money. We think we’re just fine.”

Butler’s Boot Hill Casino and Resort is to be built on U.S. 50 west of downtown Dodge City.

Addressing rumors that Butler was seeking investors in Dodge City beyond those originally listed in its presentation to the state, Stewart said his company was courting any locals who may be interested.

“We basically talked to some people,” he said. “We said, ’If you’re interested, we’ll talk to you.’ “It’s not a question of really putting any pressure on anybody. We just thought that maybe there’s a chance someone’s really interested.”

Dodge City Mayor Kent Smoll expressed confidence that Butler would move forward.

“They’ve assured us all the way along that their financing is secure,” Smoll said. “I think there’s always going to be a concern. But, it’s been openly discussed between the city and Butler that we want a partner as we build this special events center, and financing is lined up on both sides.”

Current plans have Butler breaking ground sometime in December and opening an interim casino by late 2009. The final casino and hotel would be completed within the next two years.

Butler’s immediate step is to pass a background check, currently under way by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

Commission spokesman Mike Deines said he could not discuss details but that nothing has surfaced so far to suggest Butler would pull its casino plans out of the area.

Jeff Thorpe, president of Boot Hill Gaming and a local representative for Butler National, said the delays in the south-central and southeast casino zones could actually prove to be a benefit for Dodge’s casino.

“Ours will be open a good two years before any others,” he said. “And so our light will burn just a little bit brighter.”

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Information from: The Dodge City Globe, http://www.dodgeglobe.com