Rival casino groups raised more than $30 million, reports show

Rival casino groups in a proxy war over a Pope County casino have raised more than $30 million in their competing efforts over a constitutional amendment on this year’s ballot. 

Local Voters in Charge, funded by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, reported today that it raised $8.9 million this month in support of the amendment, bringing its total haul to $17.7 million. Two groups opposed to the amendment reported raising $944,183 this month and more than $13 million since the campaign began. 

Combined, the casino groups raised nearly $31 million. 

Local Voters in Charge reported having spent $7.6 million this month and $15.6 million since the campaign began. The group said it had a little more than $2 million on hand as of Saturday. 

Local Voters in Charge is the sponsor of an amendment that would revoke the casino license state regulators awarded to Cherokee Nation Entertainment to operate a casino in Pope County. The amendment would also require a countywide referendum before any future casino could be opened in Arkansas. 

The amendment, and the seemingly constant TV ads for and against it, have been confusing. Here’s what the amendment would do. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled this month that the amendment’s popular name and ballot title were acceptable and that the amendment would be on the November ballot. 

Ballot question committees, the financing vehicles for groups supporting or opposing ballot initiatives, are required to report their contributions and expenditures in a pre-election report seven days before an election. That deadline was today. 

In addition to Local Voters in Charge, two other casino-related committees filed reports today.  

Investing in Arkansas, a committee opposed to the amendment, reported receiving $944,108 in contributions this month, bringing the group’s total haul to $12,544,108. The group reported having $298,451 on hand as of Saturday. The group is funded by Cherokee Nation Businesses, which has contributed more than $12 million to the cause. 

The Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee, another group opposed to the amendment, reported only a $75 contribution this month, putting its total contributions at $776,575. The group had a balance of $63,999 as of Friday. 

Arkansans for Patient Access, the sponsor of a medical marijuana amendment that was disqualified from the ballot, reported no donations this month. The group raised $2,021,589 in total during the campaign and reported having a balance of $65,269 as of Friday. 

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled last week that the popular name and ballot title of the medical marijuana amendment were misleading and ruled that votes on the amendment would not count. 
A committee associated with the conservative Arkansas Family Council reported its fundraising in opposition to the medical marijuana amendment and the abortion amendment. The group raised $113,983 in October in opposition to the marijuana amendment, bringing its total contributions to $332,698. The group reported having $71,716 on hand as of today. 

The largest contribution this month came from Little Rock poultry magnate Ronald Cameron of Mountaire Corporation, who donated $113,533 on Oct. 7. 

On its forms opposing the abortion amendment, the committee reported raising a total of $245,221. The group did not have any donations this month. 

The group’s biggest transaction regarding the abortion amendment was a $113,533 refund to Cameron. Three days later, Cameron donated the same amount to the group’s efforts in opposition to the medical marijuana amendment. 

The pre-election report for Stronger Arkansas, a ballot question committee opposed to three amendments that had hoped to make the ballot, did not appear on the Arkansas Ethics Commission’s website by late afternoon. The group was formed by people with close ties to Gov. Sarah Sanders and was opposed to amendments related to education, abortion and medical marijuana. The Ethics Commission began an investigation into the committee earlier this month after a Bismarck woman filed a complaint after the Arkansas Times drew attention to some of the group’s transactions.

Arkansans for Students and Educators, another group associated with Sanders, had not filed a report by late afternoon.