Yesterday, the Arkansas Supreme Courtroom upheld a lower-court ruling stating that the Arkansas Racing Fee violated the state Structure’s Modification 100 by handing out a on line casino working allow in Pope County to a consortium fashioned by Cherokee Nation Companies and Legends Resort and On line casino.
The Supreme Courtroom issued a 5-2 ruling with which it affirmed a ruling that was unveiled in January 2023 by Pulaski County Circuit Decide Tim Fox. On the time, the Decide dominated that the Arkansas Racing Fee violated the licensing course of by granting an working allow to 2 entities when the state’s Structure clearly states {that a} on line casino license might be held by a single entity. Moreover, the courtroom’s ruling discovered that Legends Resort and On line casino didn’t meet the Arkansas Contitution’s licensing necessities as a result of the operator had no expertise in providing on line casino gaming providers to that date.
The Cherokee Nation-Legends Consortium challenged Decide Fox’s ruling in Arkansas’ excessive courtroom.
Now, the excessive courtroom’s ruling paves the best way for the state’s Racing Fee to set a brand new utility interval for the on line casino license in Pope County.
Arkansas Racing Fee Granted Legends/Cherokee Nation Consortium with On line casino License in November 2021
In November 2021, the Arkansas Racing Fee was divided in its choice to grant the Legends/Cherokee Nation consortium the Pope County on line casino license after it annulled the working allow that it awarded to Gulfside On line casino Partnership in 2020. Each Cherokee Nation Enterprise and Gulfside On line casino Partnership had been among the many 5 companies that participated within the preliminary utility course of for the aforementioned on line casino allow in Could 2019.
The regulatory physique’s choice was then challenged by Gulfside On line casino Partnership, calling for Decide Fox to void the license to the consortium.
Based on the Supreme Courtroom of the state, the Arkansas Racing Fee accepted the Legends’ utility as an modification to Cherokee Nation Companies’ utility for “good causes proven” on Could seventh, 2020.
The regulator’s choice handy out the Pope County on line casino license to the consortium talked about above in November 2021 got here after in October 2021 the Arkansas Supreme Courtroom reversed Decide Fox’s ruling below which a fee rule and state legislation that required native officers to supply a letter of assist to the on line casino license candidates had been declared unconstitutional.
Pope County On line casino License Causes A lot Controversy for the State
The on line casino license for Pope County has induced a number of controversy for the nation and the state over the previous few years, which finally resulted in a number of lawsuits.
The Arkansas Racing Fee was formally given the facility to subject licenses for 4 full-scale casinos below the provisions of Modification 100 to the Arkansas Structure which was given the inexperienced mild by native voters in November 2018. Three of the 4 casinos already function in Pine Bluff, Sizzling Springs, and West Memphis.
One of many directors of the Regulatory Division on the Division of Finance and Administration, Trent Minner, shared that his division would collaborate with the state’s Racing Fee to open a brand new utility window and would be sure that the method was in keeping with all necessities below Modification 100 and no Arkansas legal guidelines had been breached.
