On June 13, the racing commission approved the Quapaw Nation’s application to build a casino in Pine Bluff in Jefferson County. However, it rejected all five of the bids for a casino license in Pope County, stating none of the applicants had letters of support from current local government officials.
Only Gulfside Casino Partnership, which proposed a $200 million casino resort, appealed the commission’s decision. The appeal will be heard on July 18. Gulfside attorney Casey Castleberry said, “As the only Pope County applicant that met the requirements of Amendment 100, Gulfside is hopeful the Arkansas Racing Commission will reverse its denial and award a license to River Valley Casino Resort.” Gulfside had endorsement letters from local officials who left office last year.
Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees the Racing Commission, said, “We anticipate the commission will make a decision on the appeal at the close of the hearing.”
Hardin said none of the other four Pope County applicants have filed an appeal. Those companies include Warner Gaming of Las Vegas; Choctaw Nation of Durant, Oklahoma; Cherokee Nation Business of Catoosa, Oklahoma; and Kehl Management of Dubuque, Iowa,
Bill Warner, chief executive officer at Warner Gaming, said the company will not appeal the commission’s decision. The Las Vegas-based company is partnering with the Hard Rock casino brand. “We remain committed to bringing the Hard Rock Arkansas to Pope County and believe the best way to do that is by reaching out to the local community, not by suing the state. We will continue to build on the excitement for our project by communicating our plans, project amenities and economic impact to voters in Pope County as this process moves forward.”
Cherokee Nation Businesses Chief Executive Officer Shawn Slaton also said CNB will not appeal. “Earlier this year, we expressed our full support for the Arkansas Racing Commission’s rules which correctly required, pursuant to Amendment 100, that letters must be from current elected officials. We remain committed to working alongside the community in Pope County and earning the letters of support from local officials,” he said. CNB is working with an entertainment group that includes Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Also competing for the casino license is the Choctaw tribe, which operates a casino just across the Oklahoma border from Fort Smith.
Pope County voters actually opposed the casino expansion amendment, which many observers contend is unconstitutional since it did not include a provision for a local option election. The current county judge said he’d prefer to add the casino question to the 2020 election ballot. Another faction said the March primary ballot will ask voters whether they would authorize the county judge to sign a letter in support of a casino.
