The chairman of the Economic Development Commission and local businessman Ben Kitchens feels if the casino issue for Junction City gets any traction a different mind set will be needed.

He told a joint city – county commission meeting that it is a jobs issue, not gambling. The casino operator needs to write the bill for our state representative, and lobbyists have to line up the votes. “Well there needs to be a lot of work done at the state level, behind the scenes work and the planning that goes into this thing. I mean there’s a governor that’s against gambling. You need to get your ducks in a row at the state level, make sure you have the votes, and you do that by working with the people in Topeka and an operator.”

Kitchens noted if the governor has to look for another $400 million in school finance maybe a gambling zone in Geary County would be more attractive. He also observed that it is very marginal whether there are enough votes in the Legislature in favor of a casino.

State Representative Allan Rothlisberg has been supporting a bill to have Geary County designated as a future site for a state owned casino. He expects to have a hearing on the proposal before a Kansas House casino in February.