A casino won’t be built in Pope County after all, thanks to Arkansas voters’ passage of a constitutional amendment Tuesday to revoke the casino’s license.
In an ironic twist, voters Pope County themselves voted against Issue 2 — meaning they voted in favor of keeping the casino on track. Local Voters in Charge, the sponsor of the amendment, had said the measure’s only purpose was “to ensure that casinos won’t be forced into any local community that does not want one.”
Here’s what all that means: On Tuesday, Pope County residents voted in favor of a casino but Arkansas voters said they can’t have it because it wasn’t fair that it was forced upon them six years ago. Got that?
The Pope County license was created by a 2018 constitutional amendment that also established casino licenses in Garland, Crittenden and Jefferson counties.
Neighboring Johnson and Yell Counties joined Pope County in voting against the Issue 2 this election.
At 11:12 p.m., Pope County Judge Ben Cross, a strong proponent of the casino, issued this statement admitting defeat:
“In what is undoubtedly the epitome of irony, Pope County voters definitively made their voices heard once and for all on the casino issue by soundly defeating Issue 2 in our county. While 74 other counties once again decided an issue for us, it is interesting to note those closest to the issue, our neighboring counties, likewise defeated Issue 2. The fact Issue 2 was defeated in Pope County does provide affirmation that all the hard work that Legends Resort and Casino devoted to investing in our region was validated in this election. To my fellow mayors, city councils, J.P’s, business owners, and our communities, thank you for your steadfast support of this project. In the second aspect of irony, the very group that advocated for local control, effectively ripped it away in this election by running a $17 million dollar anti-casino campaign with another casino’s money.”
“The passage of Issue 2 will have a direct and regressive impact on our County, and the entire River Valley for that matter. It is simply a missed opportunity that will not be replicated in terms of scope, investment, and jobs. As a driving source of progress, from our smallest communities to our largest, they all had critical infrastructure projects relying on the significant economic investment this meant to each of them. Our schools will miss millions in new funding, our volunteer fire departments will have to sacrifice new equipment purchases, our cities will struggle for sewer and water improvements. For the County, we lose not only the direct economic development funds, we lose the opportunity for a new courthouse annex, and a host of other priority infrastructure projects that are desperately needed to provide essential services to our citizens. While I anticipate almost certain litigation will ensue, I am also acutely aware such litigation could take years to resolve with an array of possible outcomes. Therefore, we as a County, will persevere, and continue to provide the best services we can with the resources we have.”
In 2018, when Arkansas voters approved the constitutional amendment creating the four casino licenses, Pope County voters voted against the measure (60.6% were against it) but it passed statewide with 54.1% in favor.
Since then, three other casinos have opened in the state, while the Pope County casino has been held up amid legal wrangling. In June, the Arkansas Racing Commission issued a license to Cherokee Nation Entertainment to open the 325-acre Legends Resort and Casino off Interstate 40 near Russellville.
Casino proponents had suggested the project, which would have included a concert venue and water park, would have had an economic impact of more than $5 billion in its first 10 years.
Issue 2, and its seemingly never-ending TV ads, was part of a proxy war between rival casino groups from Oklahoma. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a failed applicant for the casino license, funded the ballot measure as a way to derail the Cherokees’ plans. The the Cherokee Nation funded opposition to Issue 2. In total, both sides pitched in more than $30 million to advocate for and against the issue.
The measure revokes the license the Arkansas Racing Commission granted to Cherokee Nation Entertainment and reduces the number of casino licenses in the state from four to three. Any future casino in the state would need the approval of voters statewide and separately in the county where it would be located.
Since 2018, casinos have opened at Oaklawn Racing and Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis and Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff.
The Choctaw Nation owns Choctaw Casino and Resort in Pocola, Oklahoma, just across the Arkansas border near Fort Smith. That casino would presumably lose business if a new casino were to open in the Arkansas River Valley. The Choctaw Nation has also previously applied for the Pope County casino license and did not receive it.
Last week, Cross spoke at a press conference on the site where the casino was set to be built. Cross predicted the venue would draw tourists who would visit for concerts and the water park without ever gambling.
“We want this to be a tourist destination, not unlike Branson (Missouri), not unlike Hot Springs,” he said.
In 2020, a special prosecutor found that Pope County officials had violated the state Freedom of Information Act while holding discussions about the casino. The special prosecutor did not pursue criminal charges. Cross criticized the special prosecutor’s report, saying he was not interviewed despite being accused of violating the law.
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