Lawsuit filed against new Arkansas casino project

The lawsuit claims that the Gulfside Casino Partnership in Pope County does not have authorisation.

US.- The Cherokee Nation Businesses and Pope County have filed a lawsuit against the Gulfside Casino Partnership in a bid to prevent it from building a new casino in Pope County, Arkansas.

The casino project already has the green light from the Arkansas Racing Commission, which has issued a permit to Gulfside.

But the lawsuit seeks to prevent the building of a temporary casino annexe, which the claimants allege does not form part of Gulfside’s permit application.

A Cherokee entity known as Legends sought the same permit and asserts that it is the only legitimate applicant, having obtained approval from the current county judge.

Gulfside, on the other hand, relies on the approval of a county judge who left office before the casino permit application opened.

On top of the lawsuit, the Cherokee entity also has filed an administrative appeal regarding the decision to issue a permit to Gulfside.

The Cherokee Nation said: “Today, Cherokee Nation Businesses and Pope County jointly filed a lawsuit in Pope County Circuit Court asking a judge to prevent Gulfside Casino Partnership from attempting to build a downsized casino that is not authorized under any casino license, was not included in their application nor presentation to the Racing Commission, and is not even located on the same property connected to their original proposed project.

Its CEO added: “Pope County deserves a responsible operator that has a stellar track record of keeping promises made to communities, employees and local vendors.

“While there are many legal proceedings left in this process, our commitment to Pope County and securing the casino license has never been greater.”