November 18, 2008 –
MAYETTA: Sumner Gaming Joint Venture that includes Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. withdrew its application yesterday from the Kansas Lottery to build a destination casino in Sumner County that was to be situated near Mulvane, Kansas.
The economic downturn of the financial markets was cited as the primary reason for the withdrawal in a letter that was hand-delivered to the Lottery headquarters in Topeka. Ed Van Petten, Executive Director for the Lottery, said that the Lottery hopes to re-open bids for the Sumner County region in the future.
The withdrawal leaves only two of the original four casino companies selected by the Kansas Lottery Board last fall. The two still planning to build are the Kansas Speedway and the Cordish Company in Wyandotte County and Butler National Service Corp. in Ford County. The two who pulled out are the Sumner Gaming/Harrah’s group and Penn National Gaming in Cherokee County who withdrew their application last fall citing heavy competition from an Oklahoma casino that was built nearby.
Yesterday’s withdrawal was good news for the Prairie Band who filed a lawsuit against Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. last summer regarding what the tribe considered a violation of a noncompete agreement both groups made when the two parted ways last year.