Last year Arkansas voters approved Amendment 100, which allowed casinos to open at four locations, including Pope County. But voters there did not support the amendment and an anti-gambling group, Citizens for Pope County, filed a petition to prevent a casino from coming to the area.
The group said allowing a casino would violate the state constitution since county officials could not endorse a casino license application before a local referendum could be held. CPC claimed a local quorum court secretly met with Cherokee Nation Business, which proposed a $225 million casino in partnership with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ hospitality company Legends, and approved its operations without the possibility of public input.
But recently a circuit judge rejected CPC’s lawsuit and also ruled a resolution for that Cherokee endorsement, granted on August 13, was legal and binding. The ruling could pave the way for the Legends-Cherokee Nation development which includes a casino with 1,200 slot machines, 200-room luxury hotel, music venue and outdoor water park.
However, multiple lawsuits still are pending including one from competing developer Gulfside Casino Partnership which sued the Arkansas Racing Commission, resulting in an extension of the licensing application process through November. Gulfside’s appeal is set for a November 25 hearing.
