Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf sees the benefits of having a casino in Junction City.

Wolf said Tuesday he believed it would be a shot in the arm for for the local economy.  He pointed to Dodge City as an example. “Several years ago when they built a casino down there, before that the city of Dodge City was really in financial problems. ” Wolf noted a casino was put into operation in that southwestern Kansas city. “Now you go down there you see the casino, and the area around it has just exploded with restaurants, stores.”

State Representative Allan Rothlisberg of Junction City is working to try and have Geary County designated as a future site for a state owned casino.  He expects to have a hearing on his bill on that topic in February before a Kansas House committee.

Neither Wolf or Junction City police chief Tim Brown have expressed any major concerns about crime associated with a casino. Brown has done research in the past showing there could be a small uptick in crime when a casino opens, but it would then level off and return to a normal level.