Voters in Harvey County said yes to building a casino, should the Legislature approve expanded gambling in Kansas.
In a hotly disputed advisory vote, residents approved casino gambling in the county in mail-in balloting by 373 votes, with 6,403 people voting for a casino and 6,030 against.
About 60 percent of the registered voters returned their ballots.
More than 200 ballots were disqualified because they were returned unsigned. Another 183 ballots are in dispute. Harvey County commissioners will meet Wednesday to decide whether those ballots should be counted.
Former Wichita Mayor Bob Knight, a partner in a $300 million resort-casino project that he presented in Harvey County at the request of officials, said he was pleased by the result.
"It's one of the most culturally conservative counties in the state, which leads me to believe there were people who voted in support of it who don't gamble, but see economic advantages for the county," Knight said.
The vote is nonbinding and doesn't mean Harvey County will get a casino.
Legislators in Topeka must pass gambling legislation permitting casinos in the state. The casinos would be owned and operated by the state.
Lawmakers are expected to consider gambling bills during the next session as a potential source of funding for education, Medicaid and other programs.
Mail-in balloting on casinos also is under way in Sumner and Marion counties. Results are expected by Tuesday in Sumner County and Thursday in Marion County.
Residents in Harvey County voted on the question, "Do you support locating a destination casino in Harvey County?"
Harvey County Commissioner Ken Meier said the result was a little closer than he expected. He said opponents who mounted a campaign against the casino did a good job.
"But at least the voters said what they wanted, and that's the position we'll take as a commission."
The commission remained neutral on the issue, he said.
The commission will send the results of the election and Wednesday's canvassing to legislators in Topeka, he said.