Arkansas voters reject Pope County Casino

Voters approve a measure that rescinds an existing licence for a new gaming destination.

US.- Arkansas voters have approved Issue 2, a measure to rescind an existing licence that would allow a new casino in Pope County. The move will require any future casino to be voter-approved. Arkansas voters approved the measure by a 56 per cent margin when voting in the presidential elections on Tuesday.

The outcome blocks the Cherokee Nation plan to open a casino an hour from Little Rock, the state capital.

In October, the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected part of a lawsuit challenging the ballot measure. Cherokee Nation Entertainment brought the lawsuit with an affiliated group, the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee.

Pope County was one of four sites where casinos were allowed under a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2018. Casinos have already been built in the other three locations.