A new casino proposal could see three casinos in Arkansas cleared for construction later this year. However, this proposal will need to be approved by Arkansas’ Attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, before it will be put before the state’s voters. Rutledge has rejected several casino proposals before, so any Arkansas residents who enjoy gambling will be hoping the new proposal finds favour.
A new casino proposal for Arkansas will need to be approved by the Attorney general before it can go before the voters.
Casino Proposal Seeks to help ArDOT
The new casino proposal has been submitted by ‘Driving Arkansas Forward’. This group sent the proposal to Rutledge’s office recently and are awaiting the decision. The casino proposal hopes to see three casinos built in the state, with 12% of the casino’s revenue being given to the state. According to the proposal, the majority of this money will be directed at the Arkansas Department of Transport (ArDOT)
ArDOT seems to be open to the idea and has already issued a comment on the matter. Should the proposal be approved, ArDOT would spend the majority of the money it received on the state’s roads. The main focus would be on improving the highways in Arkansas. The casino proposal currently states that two of the casinos would be built in Jefferson and Crittenden counties, while the third would be built in either Miller, Pope, Union, Mississippi, or White County.
Casino Proposal has Difficult Road Ahead
Currently, there are no dedicated casinos in Arkansas. There are two pari-mutuel racetracks that are permitted to offer slot machines, but these three casinos would be a big boost to the gambling industry. Should the proposal be approved by the Attorney General and the voters, casino operators would need to bid on the rights. The winning operators would then be required to invest at least $100 million in the casino.
There’s still a long way to go though. In order for the proposal to make it onto a ballot, the group will need to collect 84 959 signatures. However, before they can even do that, Rutledge needs to approve it. Rutledge has rejected numerous proposals in the past, with many of them coming from one citizen in particular. We’re hoping that this new casino proposal is more to the Attorney General’s liking and it has a chance to go before the voters.
