A statute that might amend Arkansas’ on line casino licensing protocols and permit the Arkansas Racing Fee (ARC) to conduct one other bidding spherical for a gaming concession in Pope County has superior within the state Legislature.
Downtown Russellville in Arkansas’ Pope County the place two on line casino firms are bidding to open a gaming resort. The Arkansas Racing Fee is awaiting legislative approval earlier than opening one other Pope County on line casino license bidding interval. (Picture: Flickr)
The Arkansas Joint Finances Committee’s Administrative Rule Evaluate Subcommittee on Wednesday superior the proposed adjustments submitted by ARC to the total Joint Finances Committee. Final month, racing commissions, in session with Arkansas Lawyer Common Tim Griffin’s workplace, amended the state’s “Utility for On line casino Gaming License and Renewal” doc.
The adjustments search to permit the Racing Fee to conduct a second bidding spherical for a on line casino license allotted for Pope County. The license was approved in 2018 by means of a statewide poll referendum.
ARC is hoping to reopen bidding for the Pope on line casino this summer season, however the timeline depends on the Legislature signing off on the licensing adjustments.
License Stalemate
Arkansas voters permitted a single on line casino within the counties of Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope.
The election query end result allowed the state’s two racetracks to turn out to be full-scale casinos, Southland in Memphis and Oaklawn in Scorching Springs. Jefferson County partnered with the Quapaw Nation, which constructed and opened a $350 million on line casino resort known as Saracen in October 2020.
The method from authorization to realization for the Pope County on line casino growth hasn’t progressed at practically the identical tempo. The holdup arose from two firms making bids for the license — Cherokee Nation Companies and Gulfside On line casino Partnership.
The controversy started when ARC decided that one among its commissioners was biased in grading the 2 pitches. The commissioner’s awarding of the Gulfside plan an ideal 100/100 whereas giving the Cherokee blueprint solely 29 factors singlehandedly tipped the result in Gulfside’s favor.
Authorized chaos ensued after the Cherokees sued ARC and the state. The Gulfside license was finally rescinded after the case reached the state Supreme Court docket, which dominated the Gulfside pitch was invalid as a result of it wasn’t accompanied by a letter of assist from the sitting county choose or present quorum court docket.
After ARC opted to offer the license to the Cherokees, Gulfside sued on grounds that it too violated bidding guidelines by making use of as a consortium, not as a single entity as required by the 2019 Arkansas Structure modification. That case additionally reached the Supreme Court docket, which in January, dominated that Gulfside’s criticism was legitimate and the Cherokees didn’t qualify for ARC’s consideration as a result of they utilized for the license with a newly shaped entity known as Legends Resort & On line casino, LLC.
Cherokees Favored
ARC’s adjustments to the bidding guidelines, if enacted by the Legislature, would seemingly depart solely the Cherokees as a professional bidder. Although the corporate might want to rework its software to a single entity, the tribe’s business gaming growth unit has the assist of each Pope County Choose Ben Cross and the Pope County Quorum Court docket.
ARC’s proposed changes to the method deal solely with gaining authorization to reconduct a bidding interval for the unissued license. They don’t advocate stripping the need of a bid solely qualifying with an endorsement letter from the county choose or quorum court docket.
Nevertheless, the rewrite did embody specifying the choose and court docket have to be the sitting choose or court docket on the time of the on line casino software submission. Beforehand, Gulfside included a letter of assist from a former county choose.
