Arkansas tribes continue to push casino amendment

Local tribes raised US$1.87 million in contributions in September to the ballot committee to push a constitutional amendment and favour casinos.

US.- A constitutional amendment could be approved in Arkansas and allow up to four casinos to be developed in the state. Local tribes are fully supporting the proposal and have contributed more than US$1.87 million in September to the Driving Arkansas Forward (DAF) committee, which is behind it.

The committee reported that the Quapaw Tribe and Cherokee Nation contributed together US$1.87 million just last month, spending US$1.77 million only in television and radio advertising. According to the report, it boosted the total amount raised by DAF to US$4.33 million and its expenses to US$4.17 million.

The report was posted by the committee on the Arkansas Ethics Commission’s website and showed that the Downstream Development Authority of the Quapaw Tribe in Quapaw contributed US$1.36 million last month to increase its accumulated to US$2.76 million. Meanwhile, the Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC of Catoosa paid in US$513k to the committee last month to increase its total contributions to US$1.56 million.

“The report speaks for itself,” Nate Steel, counsel for the Driving Arkansas Forward committee, said in a written statement: “Now that the court challenges are behind us, I think you can expect to see a little broader push going into the election.”

Should the amendment be approved, Arkansas would legalise casinos at a Hot Springs horse track and a West Memphis dog track that already offer electronic gambling. In addition, casinos in Pope and Jefferson counties would be legalised.