Casino

Sumner County's Kansas Star Casino is a few months from opening, but already has its slot machines. Trucks have been arriving all week, delivering the more than 1,300 slots that will sit on the gaming floor. "It's all been on paper until today, now we see the actual slot machines," explains Director of Casino operations, Mike Dickson. Eyewitness News was on scene when 98 slots were unloaded, checked in and taken to their specific spot on the gaming floor. "This is when our construction process comes to life, when the slot machines start going on the gaming floor," said General Manager Scott Cooper.

With a state-controlled casino under construction south of Wichita, the Oklahoma-based Wyandotte Nation still wants to build its own casino just north of Wichita.  But the U.S. Department of Interior has to approve. "It may take us longer than we want it to take," Wyandotte Chief Billy Friend says.  "But we feel in the end we'll be gaming and operating a nice quality facility in Park City, Kansas. " Monday is the deadline for the interior secretary to respond to a lawsuit filed by the tribe.  The suit claims the secretary is taking too long to make a decision.  However, the judge is likely to grant a 40-day extension.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has asked to join a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking a new casino in Park City. In July, the Wyandotte Nation filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to compel Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to approve the tribe's application to place land in Park City into trust.  That would allow them to build a casino. If approved, the motion to intervene filed by the Attorney General's Office would allow the State of Kansas to join in the lawsuit and take part in the effort to block the plan.

The Kansas Star Casino takes another step closer to opening day. Wednesday was the first day of dealers training school. About 80 people are taking part in two separate classes to learn how to operate the table games at the casino. Each class is about four hours and they have two training classes a day, five days a week right up until the opening of the casino in January. Officials with the casino say they are looking for people that have the dexterity and eye-hand coordination to be able to deal a game of cards.

Mulvane doesn't plan to hire any more police officers or fire fighters when the Kansas Star Casino opens next year.  The casino gave money to build a public safety station, but the city says it's not needed right now.  In fact, research shows the casino will have little impact on Mulvane's emergency services.  " Nothing we're doing in any way is going to degrade the safety for citizens of Mulvane. I'm a citizen of Mulvane, I want those services as badly as anyone else," said city administrator Kent Hixson.

One casino is already under construction in south central Kansas.  Now an increased effort is underway to build a second. The Wyandotte Nation filed a suit this week against the Department of Interior. It says the government is taking too long to sign off on a tribal casino in Park City. For five years, there's been talk of a tribal casino being build near the old Wild West World in Park City. "They never have actually done it," said Wichita resident Bruce Bolte.  The Wyandotte Nation says the hold up has nothing to do with them.  "We wish we did have an idea of why it's taking so long," said Chief Billy Friend.

The new Kansas Star Casino hosted a job fair at Century II on Tuesday. The Sumner County casino plans to hire 500 people by early next year -- then 300 more after that. Casino operators say they've already had received five-thousand applications. You can apply for a job at the casino by clicking on the link on the left side of the page.

If you want to work at the Kansas Star Casino, you'll soon have the chance to learn about what jobs are available. The casino will hold an employment open house Tuesday July 26th.  It will be at Century II Exhibition Hall from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The casino is expected to hire 500 people when its first phase opens early next year.  It will add another 300 as additional phases are complete. 5,000 applications have already been submitted to Kansas Star on-line.  “We are excited to have the opportunity to meet the applicants in-person,” said Scott Cooper, General Manager.

The casino set to open next summer won't have any trouble finding employees. The Kansas Star Casino already received over four thousand job applications. Casino officials say most of those job seekers are primarily from the Wichita area. Jane Leedy applied for a job there. She says if she doesn't get that job, she hopes other work might come up because of the casino. "It's going to bring revenue into our community and it's going to bring in other restaurants and gas stations," she said.

The State of Kansas will look like a fool. That's what one lawmaker says about the resolution to reopen the Sumner County casino process. The House was supposed to vote Wednesday on whether the Attorney General should file a lawsuit against the Lottery. They didn't get to the resolution but it's still on the table. Dirt is moving in Sumner County to make way for a casino. But that doesn't stop lawmakers in Topeka from trying to stop the project. "It's frustrating because at some point in time you need to accept the outcome and accept our commitments," said Mulvane City Administrator Kent Hixson.