News from the Kansas City Star this afternoon…

Woodlands calls staff meeting; closing possible

A staff meeting has been called for this afternoon at the
Woodlands, the state’s last surviving pari-mutuel racetrack.
The track’s owners have not been able to negotiate terms with the state for
adding slot machines at the racetrack, and it is feared that without a slots
agreement the track will close.

For years, slots have been seen as the possible savior for the track, and
they were included in the Kansas legislation last year that will allow for
state-owned casinos and for slots at dog and horse tracks. But the legislation
guarantees the operators only 25 percent of the gross, with 15 percent for
unspecified gaming expenses to be divided by contractual agreement between the
state and its slot manager. Dividing that 15 percent has been the sticking
point.

Another track, long-shuttered Camptown dog track in Frontenac, could have
added slots under the new law and reopened. But two months ago that track’s
owner, Wichita businessman Phil Ruffin Sr., said the state’s tax bite on
racetrack slots didn’t leave enough cash flow to turn a fair profit.