Pope County remains a candidate for a fourth Arkansas casino in the state, but that could change at the polls on Nov. 5.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that a referendum to block casino efforts in Russellville, AR, can stay on the ballot. Arkansas has three brick-and-mortar casinos up and running.
- Oaklawn Racing & Gaming in Hot Springs (Garland County)
- Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis (Crittenden County)
- Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County)
Arkansas gaming became possible in 2018 when a statewide vote to allow four casinos earned 54% support. Crittenden, Garland, and Jefferson County voters also supported the casino referendum at the local level.
That wasn’t the case for a fourth casino in Pope County, where only 4-in-10 voters wanted a Russellville casino back in 2018. The statewide majority carried the day, however.
Russellville is a lakeside city of about 30,000 in the northern part of the Natural State.
Brick-and-Mortar Impact
The state supreme court ruling — and the now-approved ballot measure — will have statewide ramifications.
In addition to blocking the Pope County casino, the Nov. 5 measure would require voted support at the local level for any future Arkansas casino efforts.
Cherokee Nation Entertainment won the license to build the Pope County casino. They filed an unsuccessful lawsuit to keep Issue 2, the casino-blocking referendum, off the upcoming General Election ballot.
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that both the petition-gathering process and the ballot language were in compliance with state laws.
Arkansas Sports Betting Impact
The casinos in Hot Springs (Oaklawn Sports), Pine Bluff (Saracen Sportsbook), and West Memphis (Betly) offer Arkansas sports betting apps. If voters turn away Issue 2, a fourth casino could proceed. That would mean a fourth sports betting option arrives in the Natural State.
While the online betting apps mentioned above can be accessed state-wide, Arkansas lacks major operators like BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, or Hard Rock Bet.
Social sportsbooks such as Thrillzz and Fliff allow players to compete against each other. They are legal in most states because they don’t involve real money vs. the house bets, but users can still win real-money prizes.
Tribes Contribute Millions to Arkansas Casino Campaign
As AP political reporter Andrew DeMillo notes, Arkansas voters have been bombarded with ads surrounding the casino measure.
Cherokee Nation Businesses donated $2.8 million to the “Investing in Arkansas” group, which opposes the casino-blocking measure.
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma donated $5.6 million to support Issue 2 through the “Local Voters in Charge” group. Russellville is about 95 miles away from the Choctaw Casino & Resort in the border town of Pocola, OK. The tribe does not want to lose market share to a new Arkansas casino.
Closer to home, Sweepstakes casinos and social casinos are another part of the Arkansas gaming landscape. The apps include many casino-style games with real-money prizes.
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