A newly formed group, Investing in Arkansas, opposes a constitutional amendment backed by the group Local Voters in Charge that would repeal a casino license in Pope County. Investing in Arkansas has the financial backing of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which is pursuing the lucrative Pope County license.
That license was approved in 2018 by Arkansas voters under Amendment 100. It required the Arkansas Racing Commission to issue licenses to the Oaklawn Jockey Club in Hot Springs, Southland Racing Corporation in West Memphis and to Pope County and Jefferson County. All but Pope County have functioning casinos.
In a statement, Investing in Arkansas said the constitutional amendment effort would prevent thousands of new jobs and millions in tax revenue. The group said since 2019, the state and local governments have already spent $100 million in tax revenue on efforts to block the casino license.
Investing in Arkansas Vice Chair Natalie Ghidotti said in the release, “Don’t be fooled by this out-of-state ploy to repeal the casino measure. This group, Local Voters in Charge, claims its effort is about local choice, but in reality, their proposal would completely eliminate the casino license in Pope County, going against the will of Arkansas voters.
“This attempt to repeal the Pope County casino license is being driven by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, which controls a competing casino just across the state line near Fort Smith. Their mission is to keep Arkansas tourism and tax dollars flowing across state lines and into their pockets.”
After numerous legal delays, on March 20, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the potential constitutional amendment allowing Arkansas voters to repeal the Pope County casino license. This move gave the go-ahead to Local Voters in Charge to start collecting the more than 90,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
In a statement, Local Voters in Charge responded to Investing in Arkansas’ charges: “One thing we should all agree on is that casinos should not be forced into communities that don’t want them. Our proposal simply protects all Arkansas communities from having that happen to them. Our opponents want to deprive local voters of having the final say on this issue.
“Some communities might want a casino, and others do not, but we trust local voters to decide what’s best for their communities, and that’s all our amendment does. It puts local voters in charge. If our opponents are confident in the benefits of their casinos and local support for them, why do they oppose giving local voters the final say?” the statement said.
The Cherokee Nation has proposed a $225 million Pope County casino resort with 50,000 square feet of gaming space, including 1,200 slot machines and 32 table games, sportsbook and high-end sports bar, plus a 200-room luxury hotel with a resort-style pool, spa and fitness center, 15,000 square feet of mixed-use conference and entertainment space accommodating 1,000 people and an outdoor water park and music venue.
