Now, the action has moved to Sumner County where four companies have submitted proposals for the county’s single license in time for this week’s deadline. 

First up is a partnership between Harrah's Entertainment and Sumner Gaming. They have proposed a $500 million property that includes a Las Vegas-style gaming floor, including a World Series of Poker Room, a wide variety of restaurants to suit every taste and budget -- from a premium steakhouse to a fine-dining restaurant helmed by TV personality Paula Deen  to a Toby Keith-branded bar and grill to a casual cafe and multiple fast food outlets; a 1,600 seat amphitheater for outdoor concerts, a championship golf course, a 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art conference facility, high-energy nightclubs and lounges and 275 beautifully appointed hotel rooms, including 30 luxury suites and five private pool villas.

"Our plan calls for an exciting, high-quality destination where guests can immerse themselves from dawn to dark without ever exhausting the resort's near-limitless range of offerings," said Charles Atwood, vice chairman of the board. "With our extensive network into the world's most powerful brands -- Country Music Television (CMT), Toby Keith, Paula Deen, Butch Harmon, Bobby Weed and many more -- only Harrah's can deliver this unique destination resort for Kansas. The Harrah's Kansas plan calls for a wide variety of world-class amenities that will aid in driving tourism to Sumner County, Kansas.”

MGM MIRAGE and Foxwoods Development Company are partnering with Sumner Gaming Ventures, LLC, dba Chisholm Creek Casino. This is the first joint venture for them as part of a long term partnership.  To be built for about $425 million, this casino resort would include a 250-room hotel, a 70,000-sf gaming floor, retail, movie theater and restaurants, to be developed on 176-acres. Future phases would include a resort golf course, RV park, a retail sports outlet like Cabela’s and an 18-hole golf course.

"Our proposed level of capital investment far exceeds the minimum required by the state and is entirely privately funded," says Gary Armentrout, managing director for Foxwoods Development. "By way of comparison, it's more than twice what Sedgwick County is spending to build an arena in downtown Wichita."

Penn National Gaming has filed a license application for a proposed destination resort that the Company has budgeted at $365 million. The proposed Hollywood Casino-Wellington will be a 450,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility featuring a 350-room resort hotel with luxury suites, spa and fitness center, and a 70,000 square foot gaming floor with 1,500 slot machines (and capacity for expansion to 2,000 slots with no further construction required) and 40 table games. In addition, the casino will feature Hollywood themed-memorabilia, a variety of restaurant options, a sports bar, retail center, and a 1,750-seat entertainment and convention center. The facility is master-planned for up to $200 million in additional expansion, including 200,000 square feet of mixed use retail and entertainment space, an executive golf course and a second first class hotel. The second phase expansion will bring the total budget for the master-planned project to over $565 million.

"Hollywood Casino-Wellington will serve as a catalyst for commercial and retail growth in South-Central Kansas. Our proposed site is uniquely situated to anchor the City of Wellington's long-range plan to develop a retail and mixed use corridor from its City limit to the east along the highway 160 corridor," said Peter M. Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Penn National Gaming. "Additionally, Hollywood Casino will prove to be an economic engine for the county as it will increase tourism and create over 2,400 jobs with more than 1,100 directly by the resort all with competitive wages and benefits. The project will also result in an average of more than 350 daily construction jobs for over eighteen months. We look forward to continuing our work with local and state authorities to develop a distinctive entertainment resort hotel that will create jobs, tax revenues and other sustainable economic benefits for the region."

Finally, Marvel is looking to build a $350-million casino project on a 140 tract of land. The property would feature a 65,000 square foot casino floor, 10,000 square feet of retail, a 40,000-square foot convention center, a 300-room hotel and food and entertainment outlets.

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