The Arkansas Racing Fee (ARC) says solely the Legends Resort & On line casino bid submitted by Cherokee Nation Leisure qualifies for additional consideration to achieve the lone business gaming license earmarked for Pope County.
Cherokee Nation Leisure’s on line casino plan for Arkansas’ Pope County known as Legends Resort & On line casino is the one certified bid. The Arkansas Racing Fee will now evaluate the submission. (Picture: Cherokee Nation Leisure)
Gaming commissioners mentioned yesterday that the company acquired two bids for the ultimate remaining on line casino license within the state. Together with the $300 million Cherokee plan, an entity primarily based in Mississippi known as Gulfside On line casino Partnership introduced ARC with a $405 million scheme known as River Valley On line casino Resort.
Each initiatives goal Russellville however solely the Cherokee submission was accompanied by letters of help from the Pope County Quorum Court docket and Pope County Decide Ben Cross.
Arkansas voters in 2018 handed a statewide poll referendum to permit casinos in Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope counties. The measure was designed to grant the Southland and Oaklawn racino racetracks to turn into full-fledged casinos with slot machines, desk video games, and sports activities betting.
The referendum moreover created two from-the-ground-up on line casino alternatives in Jefferson and Pope Counties, with the latter county requiring its on line casino to be inside two miles of Russellville. For the Jefferson and Pope on line casino licenses, the referendum required that candidates “furnish a letter of help from the county decide or a decision from the county quorum courtroom within the county the place the on line casino could be positioned.”
Gulfside Unqualified
ARC voted Wednesday night time to dismiss Gulfside from additional consideration, because the River Valley proposal didn’t meet the factors of getting Cross’ help or an endorsement decision from the Pope County Quorum Court docket.
Gulfside was given an opportunity to current its venture to the quorum courtroom final week, however the justices voted 7-5 towards issuing River Valley a help decision.
Gulfside reps mentioned Thursday they’re weighing their choices. The chances, nonetheless, counsel the Pope County on line casino license saga is nearing completion nearly six years after the gaming concession was approved.
With Legends the one qualifying bid, ARC will now start the method of reviewing the on line casino resort plan. That course of begins with an outdoor guide who will evaluate the applying.
Cherokee Nation Leisure has additionally been requested to current its venture scope to ARC throughout a June 27 assembly. After the presentation, every commissioner will grade the on line casino resort define on a 1-100 rating.
Grading Scandal
ARC’s grading element is what first took the Pope County on line casino license into courtroom. 4 years in the past this month, ARC voted on the Gulfside and Cherokee on line casino plans.
Then-Commissioner Butch Rice singlehandedly tipped the vote in Gulfside’s favor when he graded the River Valley scheme an ideal 100/100 whereas giving the Legends plan solely 29/100 factors. ARC had initially deliberate to award Gulfside the license earlier than the Cherokees threatened a lawsuit on claims that Rice’s “so wildly divergent” scoring confirmed “a bias.” Rice’s fellow commissioners later concluded that Rice certainly had a bias in his grading.
The fee then determined to award the Legends plan the license, and that’s when Gulfside sued the state.
The authorized matter prolonged as to if a former county decide certified to difficulty a letter of help, because the River Valley plan was submitted with a letter of help from former Pope County Decide Tim Fox. State courts dominated that solely help from the sitting decide certified.
In a separate case that reached the Arkansas Supreme Court docket, it was additionally decided that the Cherokee’s preliminary software violated bidding guidelines as a result of they utilized as a partnership with a newly shaped entity known as Legends Resort& On line casino, LLC, as an alternative of a single entity. The Cherokees remedied that concern with its most up-to-date bid by making use of solely as Cherokee Nation Leisure.
