Pope County Quorum Courtroom Delays Determination on On line casino Quandary
The Pope County Quorum Courtroom on Thursday tabled Decide Ben Cross’ request that they take a impartial place concerning the business on line casino license allotted to the county by the state’s 2018 gaming referendum.
Pope County Decide Ben Cross leads an Aug. 3, 2023, assembly of the Pope County Quorum Courtroom. The county justices refused to approve a decision launched by Cross that may require the quorum to take a impartial place amongst two on line casino bids for the county’s lone gaming license. (Picture: Pope County)
The Arkansas Supreme Courtroom final month dominated that the Arkansas Racing Fee wrongly awarded the Pope County on line casino license to a bunch involving the Cherokee Nation Companies (CNB), the business enterprise unit of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and Legends Hospitality. The excessive court docket dominated that Modification 100, the 2018 referendum that legalized business casinos in Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope counties, required ARC to solely challenge a license to an skilled gaming operator making use of as a sole entity.
CNB and Legends utilized collectively for his or her proposed $225 million venture referred to as Legends Resort & On line casino in Russellville. Legends Hospitality additionally doesn’t possess gaming expertise.
The state Supreme Courtroom ruling is the newest in what’s change into an extremely difficult, years-long authorized dispute about whether or not CNB/Legends or a competing bid from an entity referred to as Gulfside On line casino Partnership needs to be awarded the allow. Gulfside On line casino Partnership is a Mississippi-based firm skilled in operating riverboat casinos.
Cross Backs Cherokees
Cross believes the Cherokee and Legends plan is the very best match for Pope County. Following the state Supreme Courtroom ruling, Cross wrote an up to date letter of help for the Legends On line casino pitch.
The Cherokees and Legends Hospitality will probably rework their possession construction to make CNB the only real applicant for the license. CNB has huge expertise in creating and working casinos.
Modification 100 requires that bids solely qualify for ARC consideration after securing a letter of help from the county choose or county quorum court docket. Cross requested the Pope Quorum Courtroom justices throughout their Thursday assembly to approve a decision pledging their neutrality to the continued on line casino dilemma.
After listening to Cross’ plea, the 13 justices of peace favored tabling the request. The quorum court docket will subsequent meet on November 28, however that date is reserved for court docket finances concerns.
Cross in Crosshairs
When Cross issued his up to date letter of help for the CNB/Legends on line casino, the county choose pressured the significance of expediting the issuance of the gaming license to permit Pope County to start realizing the financial advantages of a on line casino that has already occurred in Crittenden, Garland, and Jefferson. Cross instructed racing commissioners that the quorum court docket wouldn’t additional muddy the water by supporting the Gulfside plan, which is required for ARC to think about the bid.
They [Quorum Court] aren’t going to challenge a decision in help of anybody,” Cross declared. However Thursday night time, the justices determined to not totally perform that pledge.
Gulfside beforehand offered a $254 million venture referred to as River Valley On line casino Resort, additionally in Russellville, to ARC with the help of Decide Ed Gibson. Gibson favored the Gulfside plan with a letter of his help that he wrote simply days earlier than exiting the place in December 2018.
The Cherokees subsequently received a lawsuit that disqualified the Gulfside plan as a result of it didn’t have a letter of help from the present county choose or the present county quorum court docket.
