Tribe pulls out of proposed casino in southeast Kansas
An American Indian tribe based in Oklahoma is pulling out of a partnership seeking to build a casino in southeast Kansas because of hostility from Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, the tribe’s chairman said.
John Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Tribe, announced Wednesday that the tribe will not be partners with Wichita developer Phil Ruffin in a proposed Emerald City Casino & Resort north of Pittsburg.
He said the withdrawal is in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt seeking to stop the tribe from expanding its Downstream Casino facility in Oklahoma onto land the tribe owns in Kansas.
“Bringing this litigation was not only a mean thing to do, and wrong on its face, but it seeks to cheat the citizens of southeast Kansas out of additional revenue that they deserve,” Berrey said. “We intend to fight for our rights and for the Cherokee County, Kansas, citizens’ best interests.”
When asked for a response, Jennifer Rapp, a spokeswoman for Schmidt, referred to comments the attorney general made when the lawsuit was filed March 9.
“We believe the tribe should be held to its word that the land would not be used for gaming, and the federal government should follow the law in allowing the state to have its voice heard on how the land will be used,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt’s lawsuit challenges a National Indian Gaming Commission decision to allow casino gambling on Cherokee County land that is currently being used for a parking lot. He said the Quapaw tribe had promised its land in Kansas would not be used for gambling, which Schmidt’s lawsuit says “creates an impression that the State of Kansas and/or the (Bureau of Indian Affairs) were misled.”
Berrey said the tribe always intended to expand its Downstream Casino into Kansas.
“Those who say we did anything wrong just don’t understand the laws and processes themselves,” Berrey said. “Now, it’s possible they might have believed we could not gain the eligibility. But they were wrong and now they just don’t want to accept it.”
After Berrey announced the tribe’s withdrawal, Ruffin released a statement to The Eagle that read: “The Ruffin group will move forward with our licensing efforts in Kansas despite the loss of our partner, the Quapaw tribe.”
Ruffin is competing against two other projects with Wichita ties. A $145 million proposal called Castle Rock Casino Resort involves Rodney Steven and Brandon Steven, as well as others from Wichita and elsewhere.
And a $62 million project called Kansas Crossing Casino includes Brent Stevens, George Laham and several others from the area and outside of it.
The Castle Rock Casino project would be built in Cherokee County, while the Kansas Crossing project would be in southern Crawford County, on the Cherokee County line.
All of the projects aim to draw gamblers not only from southeast Kansas, but from Oklahoma, Missouri and parts of Arkansas.
The Kansas Lottery has until April 30 to review the three casino proposals. If approved, the proposals will be sent to the Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board, which is expected to name a winner by the end of June.
This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Tribe pulls out of proposed casino in southeast Kansas."