Arkansans got their first look last week at a $225 million resort casino proposed by a joint venture between Cherokee Nation Businesses and NFL magnate Jerry Jones’ Legends hospitality group.
Legends Resort & Casino Arkansas will be located on 130 acres in Russellville, an hour’s drive east on Interstate 40 from Fort Smith and about three hours from Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Plans call for a “world-class entertainment” facility featuring a 50,000-square-foot casino with 1,200 slots and 32 table games, a sports book, a 200-room hotel with pool, spa and fitness center, 15,000 square feet of mixed-use meetings and entertainment space and an array of dining outlets.
At full build-out the facility also will host an outdoor water park and music venue and space for 100 recreational vehicles.
“We have remained fully committed to the people of Pope County and to taking our proposed development to the next level,” said Shawn Slaton, CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses, an Oklahoma-based holding company partially owned by the Cherokee Indian Tribe with a diverse portfolio of interests that includes 10 casinos.
He added, “We’ve embraced the community’s feedback and are confident this resort destination brings something for everyone.”
Bill Rhoda, president of Legends Global Planning, promised a resort that “will create a positive economic impact of benefit to Pope County and the state of Arkansas”.
Legends is a stadium-management, sports and live entertainment company founded in 2008 by Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and an Arkansas native, and the late George Steinbrenner, former owner of the New York Yankees.
Leaders in Pope County have endorsed the development and voted in Pope County Quorum Court last week to support it over four other proposals, apparently bypassing a county ordinance that requires officials to seek voter approval before backing a casino proposal.
Cherokee, in the meantime, has pledged to pay a $38.8 million “economic development fee” once the project is cleared for licensing by the Arkansas Racing Commission. That money would be distributed among 17 different entities, including some cities in Pope County, non-profit organizations and education foundations.
Arkansas voters legalized casino gambling last year at existing racetracks in Hot Springs and West Memphis and at new sites in Jefferson and Pope counties.
