The Arkansas Racing Fee (ARC) will quickly open a 3rd bidding interval for the only real gaming license earmarked for Pope County.
The Arkansas Racing Fee is seen on Might 6 voting to schedule a 3rd bidding spherical for the Pope County on line casino license. Two bids are anticipated for the gaming alternative. (Picture: CBS11)
Arkansas voters licensed Las Vegas-style casinos in 4 counties by a statewide referendum in 2018. Casinos have since opened in Crittenden (Southland On line casino in West Memphis), Garland (Oaklawn Racing On line casino Resort in Sizzling Springs), and Jefferson (Saracen On line casino Resort in Pine Bluff).
The Pope County concession stays unissued almost six years after it was licensed. ARC says starting this Sunday, Might 12, the applying window for the on line casino license will open for a 3rd time after the primary two rounds led to authorized bedlam.
It’s anticipated that the identical two entities which were battling for the concession for a number of years will stay the unique bidders. These entities are the Cherokee Nation Companies (CNB), the business conglomerate of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, and Gulfside On line casino Partnership, a Mississippi-based gaming agency.
Court docket Approvals Important
The 2018 modification to the Arkansas Structure to permit business on line casino playing with slot machines, dwell seller desk video games, and sports activities betting requires that gaming candidates solely qualify for consideration by ARC with a letter of help from the sitting county choose or quorum court docket within the county the applicant is searching for to function.
The county choose/quorum court docket part of the bidding course of was the perpetrator for the primary Pope County bidding spherical ending with out the license being allotted. ARC had initially voted to present to license to Gulfside, however CNB sued the state and received after courts decided that the corporate’s plan — River Valley On line casino Resort — had solely secured a letter of help from a former Pope County choose, not the sitting choose.
Present Pope County Choose Ben Cross has lent his help to CNB. The sitting Pope County Quorum Court docket final 12 months additionally handed a decision endorsing the Cherokee plan known as Legends Resort & On line casino.
Each River Valley and Legends are focusing on Russellville.
Having obtained the unique help of Pope County Choose Ben Cross as required … and a decision of help from the Pope County Quorum Court docket, we anticipate being the only real certified applicant,” stated Cherokee Nation Companies CEO Chuck Garrett. “We sit up for standing earlier than the Arkansas Racing Fee the place we’ll exhibit our greater than 30 years of expertise in gaming and hospitality, in addition to our plans for Legends Resort & On line casino to be in-built Russellville.”
Gulfside thinks the quorum court docket may be prepared to additionally difficulty it a letter of help.
“We sit up for presenting our proposal to the Pope County Quorum Court docket and searching for a decision of help,” stated Gulfside lawyer Casey Castleberry.
Bidding Interval
ARC commissioners plan to conclude the Pope County on line casino bidding interval on June 11. After that, commissioners will evaluation the candidates and vote on which is able to transfer ahead with the license.
CNB will apply as a single entity versus its earlier bid, which Arkansas courts deemed invalid due to its utility together with multiple entity. The Arkansas Supreme Court docket in January dominated that the Cherokee bid was invalid as a result of the corporate utilized at the side of a newly shaped entity known as Legends Resort & On line casino, LLC.
The bidding guidelines require that corporations bid individually, not collectively. Making use of corporations should additionally be capable to exhibit gaming expertise, one thing the Legends LLC can’t.
Referendum Progresses
Whereas ARC strikes ahead with opening a 3rd bidding spherical for the Pope County license, a citizen-led grassroots marketing campaign is searching for to annul the gaming alternative by one other statewide referendum. Voters in Cost, a poll query committee, continues to canvass voters to help an effort to repeal Pope County’s gaming alternative.
Arkansas Legal professional Normal Tim Griffin accepted the marketing campaign’s poll wording in March. The initiative now should safe, undergo Griffin’s workplace, and have at the very least 90,704 signatures validated for the query to land on the November 5 poll.
If a easy majority votes in favor of rescinding Pope County’s designation for a on line casino, ARC’s third bidding spherical can be a lot ado about nothing.
