KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After failing to convince lawmakers to change the state’s gambling laws, the owner of a long-closed Kansas horse and dog racing track is selling the property.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, said in a news release Wednesday that Las Vegas casino owner Phil Ruffin is tentatively selling the former Woodlands racetrack to Scannell Properties, which proposes building a warehouse distribution facility and office park with retail development.
The Wyandotte County racetrack has been closed since 2008. Ruffin purchased it from former owner Howard Grace for an undisclosed price in 2015 with plans to reopen the horse track and add a facility with slot machines.
Ruffin’s company unsuccessfully sought a change in the Kansas’ gambling statues to reduce the percentage of electronic gambling revenues owed by racetrack casinos to the same percentage owed by currently licensed casinos.
The Unified Government said when the sale is completed, Scannell plans to demolish the crumbling tracks later this summer with the new distribution center opening next year. The facility is expected to create 1,000 new jobs. And 70 acres will be reserved for green space and public walking trails.
