The Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC), the state body charged with overseeing casino licensing, held a scheduled meeting yesterday to address several important issues. One was undoubtedly how to recuperate revenue lost due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the members of the commission were still able to spend a little time finding a resolution to a long-standing argument over who should have the right to build a casino in Pope County. They worked out a game plan, and the two leading gaming operators in the battle will now face off and let the winner be chosen by the number of points they can earn in a final round of scoring.
State residents approved a measure in 2018 to allow gambling expansion in the state, with the county becoming one of the primary targets. However, controversy immediately set in when Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB), working with Legends Hospitality, was awarded a license by the ARC almost immediately. That didn’t sit well with rival Gulfside Casino Partnership, who launched a legal attack to try to prevent the deal from moving forward.
A judge, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox, determined that the ARC needed to take a second look at the licensing process and make a more informed decision based on the merits of each company. The ARC has taken the judge’s ruling under advisement, and is going to proceed just as he suggests. The commission will make a final decision on who wins the casino license sending the companies’ applications to be scored, with the higher score being ruled the victor.
Initially, five different casino operators had stepped into the casino license boxing ring, but three were almost immediately disqualified, leaving, initially, just Gulfside and CNB. The three that didn’t make it were sent packing after not fulfilling the requirements of the application process; specifically, not securing the requisite letters of recommendation as stipulated in the gambling expansion legislation. Gulfside was then also dismissed because its letters were signed by local elected officials who were no longer in office when the application was submitted. The ARC argued that this voided the letters and, subsequently, Gulfside’s application.