Legislative Subcommittee Approves Sports Betting on Smart Phones in Arkansas

Casinos,

On Thursday the Arkansas Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee Administrative Rule Subcommittee approved a state rule change that would permit sports betting online via mobile devices.

The proposal now goes to the full Joint Budget Committee for final consideration next week.

Lawmakers on the committee will be able to vote to approve or reject mobile sports betting in Arkansas.

If approved, gamblers would be able to bet on sporting events online via a computer, smart phone, or other mobile device from anywhere in Arkansas.

When voters passed Amendment 100 in 2018, they authorized casino gambling at certain locations in Arkansas — not from anywhere in the state over the Internet.

This rule change would permit mobile sports betting anywhere in Arkansas.

That isn’t what voters had in mind when they approved the casino amendment a little over three years ago.

It’s impossible to monitor Internet gambling to be sure state and federal laws are enforced.

No matter how many safeguards and security features are in place, there’s no way to guarantee that children won’t gamble via these smart phone apps.

People who gamble online face a serious risk of developing a gambling addiction, and some research indicates that people who engage in sports betting are twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems.

Arkansas already has enough problems from gambling. These new rules would only make those problems worse.

Bottom line: Online sports betting is a bad bet for Arkansas.

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You Can Come Pray Against Abortion In Arkansas

Abortion, , ,

In less than two weeks, pro-lifers will launch prayer vigils outside Planned Parenthood facilities in Little Rock and Rogers.

The vigils will kick off March 2 as part of the global 40 Days for Life prayer campaigns.

Pro-lifers will take turns praying on different days and at different times from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM daily outside abortion facilities from March 2 through April 10.

40 Days for Life is not a rally or protest. It’s a peaceful assembly for prayer and reflection — and it works.

Every year we hear stories babies saved, abortion clinics shut down, and abortion workers coming to Christ in the wake of a 40 Days for Life prayer campaign.

In the past, 40 Days for Life has said that the “no-show” rate for abortion appointments can go to as high as 75% when someone prays in front of an abortion facility. Praying outside Planned Parenthood and Little Rock Family Planning Services may be the best thing we can do to stop abortions on a daily basis.

You can learn more about the 40 Days for Life vigils in Little Rock by going to 40daysforlife.com/en/littlerock.

You can learn more about the 40 Days for Life vigils in Rogers by going to 40daysforlife.com/en/rogers.

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Library Board In Jonesboro Fails to Adopt Policy Protecting Kids From Graphic Sexual Material

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On Monday the Craighead County Public Library Board rejected a proposal to move books containing graphic sexual content out of the children’s section of the Jonesboro Public Library, according to KAIT News.

This is at least the second time that the library board has failed to adopt a policy addressing sexual content at the library.

You may remember last year the library made headlines after a lawsuit revealed that extremely graphic material was on the shelves in the children’s section of the Jonesboro library.

The proposed policy that the library board rejected on Monday said,

“The purpose of this policy is to protect minors from unintentional exposure to sexually graphic/explicit material in the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library and to assist parents who wish to allow children to browse through books in areas designated for minors by ensuring some areas of the library are free of detailed descriptions of sexual encounters. 

“Any material in the library placed in areas that are designated for use particularly by minors shall not contain text describing or images depicting sexually graphic/explicit acts.”

This proposal wouldn’t have eliminated sexually-explicit material at the library altogether, but it at least would have moved sexually-explicit material out of the children’s area.

Arkansas’ law against obscenity contains an exception for schools, museums, and public libraries, and to our knowledge libraries in Arkansas have never faced any consequences for loaning pornographic material to children.

Libraries have the ability to remove pornographic, obscene, or inappropriate material from their shelves — especially in areas of the library where there might be children. Unfortunately, the public library in Jonesboro is not taking steps to do that.

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