May 26, 2009--Sumner County commissioners have endorsed a proposal by South Central Gaming Partners to build a Prairie Sky casino at Mulvane's turnpike exit.

It is the third company to win an endorsement from commissioners.

South Central Gaming Partners presented a revised plan to commissioners last week that included building a hotel of at least 180 rooms in the first phase of its development. Commissioners later endorsed the proposal.

Tuesday, commissioners signed a pre-development agreement with the group.

Prairie Sky was the last of three bidders to offer a first-phase hotel. Commissioners earlier this month endorsed proposals by Lakes Entertainment to put a casino at either the Mulvane or Wellington exits, and by Foxwoods Development to build one at the Mulvane exit after those companies agreed to build hotels in the initial phase of their developments.

Commissioners also signed predevelopment agreements with those companies.

In a written statement, commissioners said the Prairie Sky endorsement was conditional on South Central Gaming Partners dropping plans to build the casino at an alternate site at Hydraulic and K-53, agreeing to promote its exit site over other alternate sites -- the group also proposed a site near Mulvane that requires an endorsement by the city of Mulvane -- and agreeing to explore funding alternatives to provide utilities to the site.

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