Arkansas casino gets first bidder
A Mississippi operator became the first to apply for a licence to take over the future Arkansas casino in Pope County, recently approved.
US.- After new regulations cleared the way for a new Arkansas casino, the industry set its eyes on Pope County. That’s why a Mississippi operator became the first to apply for a licence to take over the venue.
According to the authorities, three more bidders may soon put up their own proposals before the end of the month. However, Gulfside Casino Partnership delivered the application packet to the Arkansas Racing Commission’s (ARC) office first.
“We believe our application makes a compelling case for why River Valley Casino Resort will be a strong partner not only to Pope County and the River Valley, but the entire state,” Gulfside attorney Casey Castleberry said in an email to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration, Scott Hardin highlighted the application period. The Department oversees the Racing Commission and is looking over the process.
“Due to planning that took place prior to accepting applications and protocol established as a result, this process continues to operate as expected,” Hardin said.
Jefferson County’s bids
The ARC had also begun taking licence applications for a Jefferson County venue early in May.
The first applicant was Downstream Development Authority of the Oklahoma Quapaw Tribe.
The Oklahoma-based group submitted its proposal to obtain a licence for Jefferson County. The tribe hopes to undergo a US$300 million project. “This is beyond just dollars and cents for the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma. This is the original homeland,” said Nate Steel, a legal counsel for the applicant.
The documents submitted earlier this month detail the plans for construction and operation of the state-of-the-art casino resort.
“This is a full-scale first-class commercial casino resort so I think that the people of Jefferson County, central Arkansas and really this part of the country are going to be excited about having this built in Jefferson County, Arkansas,” said Steel.
