The campaigns for and against the proposed constitutional amendment that could repeal the gaming license for a planned casino in Pope County have raised roughly $31 million combined according to their latest financial disclosure reports.
Local Voters in Charge, the sponsor of the casino amendment raised about $8.9 million in October, bringing the cumulative total the group has raised to $17.7 million. The group is funded by the Choctaw Nation Oklahoma.
Investing in Arkansas, a ballot question committee opposed to the casino repeal amendment, raised $944,108 in October according to their pre-election financial disclosure report, bringing the total number the group has raised to $12.5 million. The group is funded by Cherokee Nation Businesses, which was granted a gaming license for a casino in Russellville through its subsidiary Cherokee Nation Entertainment in June.
If approved by voters, the amendment — also known as Issue 2 — would repeal the Arkansas Racing Commission’s authority to issue a casino license in Pope County and would revoke any casino license issued for Pope County prior to Nov. 13, 2024, the effective date of the proposed constitutional amendment.
The proposed amendment would require Arkansas voters to approve any future amendments to the state constitution that would allow for the issuance of a casino license in any county other than Crittenden, Garland and Jefferson counties, where casinos already operate. Only then would a county’s Quorum Court be required to call a special election to decide whether to issue a casino license in that county.
The proposed amendment is essentially part of a proxy fight between Cherokee Nation Businesses, which is funding ballot committees opposed to the amendment, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, which is funding the ballot committee advocating for it. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has a casino in Pocola, Okla., just over the state line from Fort Smith.
Amendment 100 to the Arkansas Constitution requires the state to issue gaming licenses for casinos in Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson and Pope counties. The Arkansas Racing Commission awarded Cherokee Nation Entertainment the Pope County gaming license in June, the last license to be given out under Amendment 100.
Cherokee Nation Businesses also funds the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee, a ballot question committee that sued to keep Secretary of State John Thurston from counting votes on the casino amendment. The group raised just $75 in October bringing its cumulative total to $776,575.
Earlier this month, the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected an attempt to disqualify signatures collected for the amendment and a challenge from the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee to the measure’s ballot title and popular name.
Local Voters in Charge has spent $7.6 million on its campaign in October with $5.9 million being spent on advertising. In total, the group has spent a total of $15.6 million on its campaign so far according to its pre-election financial disclosure report.
“As always, we’re grateful for the support we’ve received for Issue 2 and local voter control of casino gambling,” Hans Stiritz, a spokesman for Local Voters in Charge, said in a statement. “Our opposition, Investing in Arkansas, funded by Cherokee Nation Businesses, has already proven they will spend any amount to protect their own interests, stop Issue 2, and suppress the vote of local citizens in Arkansas.”
Investing in Arkansas has spent $2.4 million in October with $1.3 million going toward media buys and around $1 million for mailers. The group has spent a cumulative total of $12.2 million on its campaign thus far, according to its pre-election financial disclosure report.
“While the supporters of Issue 2 are spending millions of dollars to trick Arkansas voters into eliminating the fourth casino we approved in 2018, Investing in Arkansas is fighting to protect a transformative economic development project that will employ more than 1,000 people, spur tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenue, and generate an estimated $5 billion in economic growth,” Natalie Ghidotti, vice chairman of Investing in Arkansas, said in a statement.
By comparison, in 2018 the committees that backed Amendment 100 raised $9.8 million while the committees that opposed raised about $180,000.
Reporting from Michael R. Wickline and Josh Snyder of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette contributed to this story.
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