Kansas casino execs rolling dice

Kansas casino execs rolling dice

A gambling company executive charged in Iowa in a campaign finance case Wednesday told members of Kansas' casino review board the situation would be resolved in his favor and shouldn't influence evaluation of proposals for a casino in Sumner County.

The seven-member Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board met in Topeka to discuss details of rival casino proposals from Peninsula Gaming, based in Dubuque, Iowa ....

The board is expected to decide Dec. 15 which company should be granted the opportunity to build a casino to serve the area south of Wichita. The pick will be forwarded to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission for final approval in January.

Brent Stevens, president of Peninsula, was charged in October with a misdemeanor for allegedly funneling an illegal $25,000 contribution to the re-election campaign of Iowa Gov. Chet Culver. At the time, Peninsula was involved in a quest to secure a new casino license in Iowa.

"We strongly deny any wrongdoing," Stevens said. "What we think the review board needs to understand from Peninsula is: Can we and will we build what we say? If we are selected, we will."

Review board consultant William Eadington, of the University of Nevada-Reno, said the criminal case should be sorted out by Kansas officials evaluating bidders.