It remains to be seen what tricks casino developers will have up their sleeves when they unveil their presentations to the Kansas Gaming Lottery Facility Review Board today and Friday in Belle Plaine —but one casino developer may lay all the cards on the table Thursday.
    Penn National Gaming, which has proposed the Hollywood Casino Resort in a centrally-located Sumner County location off Exit 19 of the Kansas Turnpike, gave a shocking presentation to the board in Cherokee County earlier this week.
    They are the only casino developer which negotiated a contract with the Kansas Lottery Commission to build a casino in the state’s southeast gaming zone – but they said their plans for that development now hinge on Sumner County.          
    According to reports in the Joplin Globe, Steve Snyder, Penn National’s senior vice president for corporate development, announced  Tuesday if the company doesn’t receive a final contract approval for a state-owned casino in Sumner County, the company may walk away from its proposed casino in Cherokee County.
    “We are committed in a southern Kansas strategy,” Snyder said. “To do Cherokee County alone, I can’t make that same commitment to you.”
    Snyder cited competition from the $301 million Downstream Casino Resort, on land adjacent to Penn National’s proposed site. The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma opened the casino on Saturday just on the Oklahoma side of the state line with 10,000 visitors reportedly through their doors on opening day.  A hotel development with the casino is scheduled to open in fall.
    Tim Wilmott, Penn National’s president and chief operating officer, also said their decision on going forth with casino operations in Kansas is dependent upon the market.
    “The market has changed dramatically since we first arrived,” Wilmott said. “This project is difficult to justify financially.”
    Penn National executives will be before the board again today in Sumner County, following a presentation by Harrah’s Entertainment.   Marvel Gaming will present their Trailhead Casino and Resort to the board on Friday morning, followed by public comment.
    The seven-member state board will make final decisions on the casino contracts for both Cherokee and Sumner counties on Aug. 20 and 21.