In Arkansas, John “Cliff” Goodin recently filed suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court, asking Circuit Judge Tim Fox to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the Arkansas Racing Commission from moving forward on a Pope County casino until it can be determined if Legends Resort and Casino has casino experience. Also, the lawsuit rejects the listing of the license recipient’s name on the gambling license it received in November.
Goodin’s attorney Jerry Malone stated, “When the Arkansas Racing Commission issued the license, we were surprised to see that they issued it to something called ‘Cherokee Nation Businesses, LLC/Legends Resort and Casino, LLC.’ There is no such entity. We researched the secretary of state’s office and there is no listing for this company.”
Malone added even if the listing was correct, the racing commission would be in violation of Amendment 100, which voters approved in 2018 to allow casino-style gambling at four locations, since Legends has no required gambling experience.
Legends Resort and Casino, created as an Arkansas limited liability company on September 11, 2019, submitted a gaming license application to the Racing Commission on January 15, 2020. Previously, the license application only listed Cherokee Nation Businesses, a subsidiary of the Cherokee Nation.
CNB Chief Executive Officer Chuck Garrett stated, “CNB’s history in the hospitality and gaming industry spans more than three decades. We helped pioneer casino gaming in Oklahoma, and our operations have grown to include 10 casinos and associated hospitality amenities, including restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, golf courses and a horseracing track.”
CNB attorney Dustin McDaniel added the Pope County license was issued “properly and consistently” with Racing Commission rules. He said, “We are confident in our legal position and will work quickly to dismiss this new lawsuit which rehashes old allegations already addressed by the Arkansas Racing Commission, not to mention the commission’s expert consultant which found CNB to have superior experience.”
CNB plans to build the $225 million Legends Casino Resort near Russellville, featuring 1,100 slot machines and 32 table games, plus a 200-room hotel.
Malone said Goodin is a member of the anti-casino group Citizens for a Better Pope County. However, he filed the suit as an individual and was simply a “concerned Pope County resident who honestly believes they don’t need casino gambling in Pope County. This is his fervent belief that he wants to go forward with this.”
Hans Stiritz, spokesman for Citizens for a Better Pope County, concurred that Goodin filed the lawsuit as an individual but the group is fully behind his efforts. “Any license that is awarded in contravention of the Arkansas constitution, other applicable law or the Arkansas casino gaming rules should be declared invalid,” Stiritz said.
The casino license originally was awarded to Mississippi casino operator Gulfside Casino Partnership in 2019. Then, controversy erupted over when county judges signed letters of endorsement. CNB then submitted an application to the Racing Commission including endorsements from current Pope County Quorum Court Judge Ben Cross and Pope County Quorum Court members at the time. Cross wrote a letter of support for CNB after he negotiated a $38.8 million economic development agreement with the business.
Gulfside filed a motion for summary judgment in Pulaski County Circuit Court, arguing Legends Resort and Casino should be disqualified because it doesn’t have casino gambling experience as required under Amendment 100. Choctaw Nation also recently filed a motion to intervene in that case.
Malone said Gulfside was not at all involved in Goodin’s lawsuit. “Everything is aboveboard,” he said.
