By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

My advice to every taxpayer in Wyandotte County: Get in writing all the promises about the money and benefits that the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the Village West district allegedly will create for the county.

Because if the contract isn't rock solid, you can bet that the promoters of the casino -- the Cordish Co. and Kansas Speedway -- will try to change the rules as they go along.

Here's the proof, already:

Just days ago Speedway President Jeff Boerger threatened that the casino might not even get built if county officials banned smoking there.

That surprised some members of the Unified Commission. And it caused a quick response from the casino's other partner.

Joe Weinberg, a Cordish official, said his firm was spending lots of time and money on the project. He indicated it was still moving forward, despite concerns about potential smoking bans.

So what's going on here?

Cordish and Speedway officials know they have an easy mark in Mayor Joe Reardon.

He's been one of the weakest local officials on smoke-free issues. So Cordish and Kansas Speedway will put pressure on Reardon to veto any measure that prohibits smoking on the floor of the proposed casino.

Kansas City, Kan., is now the largest city in the metropolitan area without a hint of a smoke-free law.

What's likely to happen in Wyandotte County?

The Unified Commission will ban smoking in public places but not casino floors, at least until all smoking is banned in all other local gambling dens.

And that would require Kansas City, Riverside and North Kansas City all to pass ordinances banning smoking on their existing casino floors.

Don't bet on that happening anytime soon.