Cordish abandons smoking-ban threat regarding speedway casino

The Cordish Co. on Friday backed away from a threat by its partner that a casino might not be built at Kansas Speedway if a smoking ban is imposed.

“I’m not going to speculate,” said Cordish principal Joe Weinberg, also president of the Kansas Entertainment Investors LLC partnership.

The group was selected last month by state officials to build and operate a $705 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at the in the Village West retail and entertainment district.

“We’re
excited about being involved in the community,” Weinberg said. “We have
committed a lot of time and resources into the project and we’re
working hard on it.”

Jeff Boerger, speedway president, on Thursday told Wyandotte County’s Unified Government that
a pending proposal to ban most public smoking in Kansas City, Kan.,
including on casino floors, was making executives at parent International Speedway Corp. nervous and could cause the partnership to rethink the project.