Federal Judge Says Local Voters in Charge Can File Amicus Brief in Lawsuit Over Casino Amendment
The federal judge presiding over the lawsuit regarding Issue 2 has determined the group Local Voters in Charge can file an amicus brief in the case.
Issue 2 is a constitutional amendment that voters passed on November 5. The measure prevents the State of Arkansas from licensing a casino in Pope County.
It also prevents any additional casinos from being opened in Arkansas without a new constitutional amendment and without local voter approval at a special election.
Cherokee Nation Business received a license to operate a casino in Pope County before Issue 2 passed. After passage of Issue 2, Cherokee Nation Business filed a federal lawsuit to undo the will of the people and block the amendment.
Local Voters in Charge worked to place Issue 2 on the ballot. After Cherokee Nation Business sued to block Issue 2, Local Voters in Charge asked the federal court for permission to intervene in the lawsuit.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr., issue an order denying Local Voters in Charge’s request to intervene. However, the judge gave the group permission to file an amicus brief in the case.
The amicus brief will give Local Voters in Charge an opportunity to provide arguments and information in support of Issue 2.
Legalized gambling has become a scourge in our state. On average, Arkansans are gambling more than a million dollars every day on sports betting alone. In spite of that, casino tax revenue has not improved Arkansas’ roads or boosted the economy. Instead it’s hurt our communities. The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council has seen a 22% increase in calls for help with problem gambling this year. Unless Arkansas’ lawmakers and its people take a stand, gambling addiction is simply going to continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
Casinos See Increase in Mobile Betting, First-Time Gamblers
Casinos in Arkansas took in more money from July to September this year, according to an article in Sunday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The article analyzed revenue data from Oaklawn Casino in Hot Springs, Southland Casino in West Memphis, and Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff.
All told, the casinos took in more money during the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
However, the article indicates that casinos saw an increase in mobile gambling and first-time gamblers this summer, noting,
Robert W. Powell III, a lecturer and instructor of hospitality management at the School of Human Environmental Sciences in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, . . . said the state’s casinos saw increases in mobile betting and those gains didn’t seem to negatively affect other betting options, which is a positive sign. Powell said anecdotally he saw more first-time players in the state’s casinos during the quarter, noting attempts to lure younger players seem to be working well across the board.
All told, people gambled more than $2 billion at casinos in Arkansas from July to September. That is a staggering figure.
In spite of the millions upon millions of dollars that casinos make, casino tax revenue has not improved Arkansas’ roads or boosted the economy.
A while gambling has increased in the state, the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council has also seen an increase in calls for help with problem gambling this year.
Unless Arkansas’ lawmakers and its people take a stand, gambling and gambling-addiction are simply going to continue wrecking lives and hurting families across the state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.