- A recent casino-blocking proposal made its way onto the November ballot for the Pope County casino in Arkansas.
- Cherokee National Entertainment was awarded the casino license in early July, but it will be up to local voters to repeal that license.
- Over 116,200 verified signatures were gathered, surpassing the necessary 90,704 to earn a spot on the ballot.
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – A proposal that would prevent the construction of a planned Pope County casino qualified for a spot on the November ballot Wednesday. Local voters will determine if the Pope County casino license should be repealed, preventing a new casino with blackjack from coming to Russellville, Arkansas.
The proposed amendment collected over 116,000 signatures from registered voters, easily surpassing Arkansas’s required 90,704 signatures to reach the ballot. Although the amendment directly focuses on the recent Pope County casino license awarding, it also includes all future Arkansas casino license granting in a countywide special election.
Amendment Requires Voter Approval For All New Casino Licensing
The full title of the amendment is long but explains what the amendment mainly wishes to accomplish. The amendment name reads “An amendment requiring local voter approval in a countywide special election for any new casino licenses and repealing authority to issue a casino license in Pope County, Arkansas.”
Local Arkansas residents want a say in future casino licensing and especially want a say in the approved Pope County casino. While Cherokee National Entertainment was awarded the Pope County casino license on July 8, local voters can have that repealed in November.
Several years of legal battles have prevented the construction of a casino in Pope County. There have been multiple bids, but the Arkansas Supreme Court ultimately overturned the bids or they were rejected by voters.