The Chairman of the Quapaw Tribe, which manages the Downstream Casino, announced that casino executives have decided to abandon their plans for submitting a proposal for establishment of a casino near Pittsburg, Kansas.
Actually, the casino owner Phil Ruffin and the Quapaw Tribe were planning to work in collaboration and ask for authorities’ approval for the establishment of the Emerald City Casino & Resort. However, the decision of the tribal leaders to pull out of the proposal means that Phil Ruffin will have to get regulator’s nod on his own.
For the time being, there are another two investors who have submitted their applications. The Kansas Lottery members are in charge of selecting the applicant that meets the criteria. They are supposed to announce their final decision no later than the end of April. Meanwhile, all applicants should be thoroughly investigated and in case there is a successful one, contracts need to be discussed and eventually a new casino in the southeast part of Kansas to be established.
The Chairman of Quapaw, John Berrey, further commented on the matter and said that state officials have clearly shown that the involvement of the tribe in the proposal was not appropriate so they decided to help their partner by announcing that they are no longer willing to be a part of the project. However, the Chairman said that tribal executives are going to concentrate all their efforts on developing the Downstream Casino Resort and make it the most competitive in the region.
Actually, the decision of the Quapaw Tribe was expected by people familiar with the matter.
Last week, the Attorney General of Kansas, Derek Schmidt, filed a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent the expansion of the Downstream Casino.
The Chairman went on to say that the litigation was a mean and wrong action and the worst of all is that its purpose is deceiving the local residents. That is why they were determined to defend their own rights.
As for the Emerald City Casino & Resort, the casino floor will spread over 70,000 square feet and will feature 750 slot machines and 18 table games. In addition, guests will be provided with high-class dining facilities.
Mr. Ruffin also commented on the matter and said that despite the fact that Quapaw tribe will not be involved in the project, the Ruffin group will continue making efforts for getting regulator’s approval.
