Wyandotte Casino Park City
The Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma plans to build the casino on land it owns south of 77th Street North on Hydraulic Avenue. Chief Bill Friend of Wyandotte Nation told WBJ news partner KAKE-TV that. TOPEKA – (August 10, 2020) – The State of Kansas has asked a federal court to set aside a decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior that allows the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma to build and operate a casino on land in Park City, Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today. (AP) — Construction has begun on a tribal casino near Wichita, despite a lawsuit from the state seeking to stop the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma from operating the casino.
The State of Kansas has asked a federal court to set aside a decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior that allows the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma to build and operate a casino on land in Park City, Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today. In May, the tribe announced that the Department of the Interior had taken regulatory steps to allow a tribal casino to be built on the parcel of land. The unexpected announcement reversed a previous decision from 2014, in which the department had rejected the tribe’s request to build a casino on the parcel. The tribe purchased the parcel in 1992. … At issue is whether federal law authorizes the enterprise; Kansas law prohibits casino gaming at that location, so the tribal casino may only be built if federal law overrides the state prohibition. Kansas has strongly defended its state-law prohibition. Other plaintiffs joining the State of Kansas in this lawsuit are Sumner County and the City of Mulvane, which are home to the Kansas Star casino that is the only casino authorized by state law in south central Kansas… The lawsuit, State of Kansas ex rel Derek Schmidt v. David Bernhardt et. al., was filed today in federal district court in Kansas. A copy of the state’s petition is available at https://bit.ly/31S88c3.
(Read more: Kansas Attorney General News Releases)
PARK CITY, Kan. (KWCH) A tribal casino could soon go up in Park City.
According to a notice posted June 3, 2020, on the Federal Register, the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs approved a tract of land (10.24 acres) in trust for the Wyandotte Nation in Park City for gaming and other purposes on May 20, 2020.
The deed describes the land as being located in Coliseum Center, an addition to Park City.
Wyandotte Casino Park City Ks
The Wyandotte tribe bought the land near 77th North and I-135 in 1992.
The tribe claimed it bought the land, located on the south of 77th North between Sedgwick County Fire Station 32 and the former Wild West World property, with land claim settlement money. A law passed by Congress in 1984 gave the Wyandotte Nation $100,000 to purchase land to hold in trust. With land held in trust, the tribe could build a casino, but to this point, there have been roadblocks from the state and federal government.
In 2014, the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs said the Oklahoma-based tribe could not use settlement money commingled with other money to purchase the land.
Leading the charge to block the casino in Park City, the State of Kansas had argued that the tribe didn't exclusively use settlement money to buy the land in Park City and that the 1984 settlement in favor of the tribe had already been fulfilled when the Wyandotte built a gaming hall in Kansas City, Kan.
Wyandotte Nation Casino Park City
The State of Kansas also argued that a casino in Sedgwick County was a violation of state law. County voters rejected a state-owned casino which eventually became the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane.
In 2014, then Park City Administrator Jack Whitson told Eyewitness News the casino would bring in 1,500 'good-paying jobs.'
Tuesday, Eyewitness News spoke with Chief Billy Friend, the leader of the Wyandotte Nation, who says construction on the planned casino could start in the next few months. This comes after years of legal battles.
'We are glad it's over and we are looking forward to being part of the community and making jobs and creating growth in Sedgwick County and Park City, Kansas,' Chief Friend says.
For now, Chief Friend says they can have Class II gaming devices on the property, including electronic bingo machines.He says he plans to bring in anywhere from 800 to 1,200 gaming machines, but also plans to add slot machines and card games. For that to happen, the tribe would have to reach an agreement with the Kansas governor.
'It's a win win for the Wyandotte Nation and it's a win for Park City, Kansas,' Chief Friend says.
Eyewitness News also reached out to the Kansas Attorney General's Office Tuesday. It says news of the planned casino surprised them and they are reviewing the situation.
About six years ago, the attorney general's office said the tribe couldn't legally build a casino on the Park City site .