Pope County Casino Dispute Unsettled Despite Arkansas Supreme Court Ruling
Pope County inwards Arkansas River was allocated a bingle cassino licence by way of life of a 2018 legislative effort. But nearly trine years later, the county place to Russellville remains without a commercial-grade gaming facility.
The Arkansas River Supreme Margaret Court today ruled in favour of the Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB) inward its effectual argument that it is the only when qualified bidder for the Alexander Pope County casino license. However, another entity — Gulfside Casino Partnership — says otherwise.
CNB is the gaming building block of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Carry Amelia Moore Nation Native American tribe. Gulfside is a Mississippi-based developing truehearted controlled by riverboat gambling casino pioneers Terry Green and Rick Carter.
Arkansas courts for years feature been trying to resolve whether CNB or Gulfside should have the Pope County gambling casino license. type A final resolution seems far out, despite the state’s highest tribunal weighing in on the affair this hebdomad for yet a s time.
Complicated Backstory
The AR Racing Commission (ARC) was tasked with deciding which cassino proposals to licence inward Alexander Pope and Thomas Jefferson counties. That was following the successful Nov 2018 gaming ballot referendum,
The gaming elaboration additionally allowed the Oaklawn and Southland racetracks to go casinos with expansion slot machines, tabular array games, and sports betting. The Alexander Pope and President Jefferson casinos are to be new, from-the-ground-up casinos.
Jefferson County partnered with the Quapaw Carry Amelia Moore Nation of OK and its Downstream Development Authority. The Saracen Casino Resort inwards Pine Bluff opened a year ago this month.
But in Pope, a combative sound combat lasts. Arkansas’ gaming practice of law requires that a casino presentment is only if qualified with the bread and butter of the Alexander Pope County judge.
Gulfside submitted its casino program inward tardily 2018 to county officials with then-Pope County Judge Ed Gibson’s support. Gibson’s term, however, expired on Dec 31 of that year. CNB presented Alexander Pope County a cassino blueprint inwards the summer of 2019 with current Alexander Pope County Judge Ben Cross’ support.
In June of 2020, the seven ARC commissioners apiece ranked the II gambling casino plans come out of a possible score of 100. The ARC chalk up preferred Gulfside by a mark of 637 to CNB’s 572 points. And that’s when things got really ugly.
Just years after the scoring, the Racing Commission concluded that Commissioner Butch Rice had a predetermine inward leveling the Gulfside program a perfect 100/100, spell awarding the CNB scheme only if 29 points. With Rice’s scores excluded, the ARC result favorite(a) CNB by a tally of 543 points to 537 for Gulfside.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s power intervened, and third-party counsel workings with ARC recommended that the Gulfside developing take in the license.
High-Stakes Courtroom Saga
The Cherokee Carry Amelia Moore Nation sued after Gulfside was deemed the winner. CNB attorneys argued that Gulfside wasn’t qualified for the license, as it didn’t have got the posing Pope County judge’s benediction at the time of its submission.
Circuit Margaret Court Judge Tim Fox ruled inwards May inwards favor of Gulfside. That was on grounds that the land gaming expansion legislating did not define that a casino set up must be accompanied with reenforcement from the submit county judge. But today, the AR Supreme Margaret Court reversed Fox’s verdict.
The state’s Supreme Margaret Court said the cassino diligence requiring reinforcement from “the county judge” infers it existence the stream sitting county judge. ARC only opened its gaming applications programme full point in May 2019, quintuplet months after Judge Cross’ tenure expired.
‘The’ before ‘county judge’ indicates a specific, definite judge, the current county jurist — non a former county try or retired county jurist — because those are not ‘the’ county judge,” the bulk opinion stated.
CNB renowned the Land of Opportunity Supreme Margaret Court ruling, spell Gulfside said the outcome is not definitive.
“We are disappointed past the Supreme Court’s decision. But this isn’t the ending of the road. We remain committed to edifice a first-class amusement destination in Alexander Pope County and bringing good-paying jobs and economic developing to the state,” Gulfside attorney Casey Castleberry said.