Attorney General Rejects Casino Proposal

Casinos, Gambling, ,

Last week Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge rejected a proposed constitutional amendment legalizing casinos in Arkansas.

The A.G. called the proposal’s ballot title, “very confusing to the point of being nonsensical.”

As far as we can tell, the proposal effectively would have allowed casinos in any municipality with a population greater than 20,000 people.

This is not the first time efforts have been made to bring casino gambling to Arkansas. In 2005 the Arkansas Legislature passed legislation paving the way for “electronic games of skill” at Arkansas’ racetracks; these games look and function much like traditional casino games.

Constitutional amendments legalizing casino gambling elsewhere in Arkansas have been proposed almost every election year–including last year.

And the Arkansas Lottery has tried in the past to expand its gambling operation to include casino-style games such as keno.

There are no two ways about it: Gambling is a blight on the community; we have seen time and time again how it hurts families and ruins lives. That’s why we oppose any effort to expand gambling in Arkansas.

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Family Council Action Committee Opposes Casino Amendment

Casinos, Gambling,

The following is a press release from Family Council Action Committee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 1, 2016

On Thursday the Arkansas Secretary of State certified a proposed amendment allowing casinos in three different counties in Arkansas for the November ballot.

Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox released a statement against the amendment, saying, “This amendment allows a group of Missouri businessmen to write themselves and their gambling operation into the Arkansas Constitution.”

Cox said, “This amendment creates a monopoly allowing out-of-state businessmen to build casinos in Texarkana, Fayetteville, and Harrison. That’s bad enough, but the fact that no one else would be allowed to do the same creates a monopoly of the worst sort. Even if every voter in these cities opposes the casinos, they could still be built if the amendment passes in the statewide vote this November.”

Cox said the amendment lets casinos operate without enough accountability. “The way the amendment is written the Arkansas Legislature won’t be able to regulate them. It specifically states that any kind of gambling that is legal in Nevada and in several other states must be allowed at these casinos. In 10 or 20 years, there is not telling what kind of gambling they will be doing in Nevada and other states, but whatever it is, it will be allowed right here in Arkansas.”

Cox noted that casino gambling has not been an economic boon elsewhere. “Tunica County, Mississippi, has nine casinos. Just across the Mississippi River in Lee County, Arkansas, there are no casinos. The poverty levels in these two counties is almost identical. It’s the same with casinos in Oklahoma. At best their economy is stagnant. On the downside, communities with casinos see higher rates of bankruptcy, higher crime rates, higher divorce rates, and a greater need for community services to assist women and children in need. It’s no coincidence that pawn shops are usually next door to casinos. Arkansas won’t be any different. This is an industry that preys on poor people.”

Family Council Action Committee is a conservative 501(c)(4) organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Press Release: Casino Amendment’s Future Uncertain

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Tuesday, Family Council Action Committee President Jerry Cox issued the following statement regarding the ballot proposal by Nancy Todd’s Poker Palace:

“We’re pleased to hear that out of the 80,373 signatures submitted by Todd to get this proposal on the ballot, only 23,616 signatures were declared valid by the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office,” Cox said. “Todd now has 30 days to meet the minimum of 78,133 valid signatures.”

“From the beginning, we have opposed Nancy Todd’s effort to write her corporation into the Arkansas Constitution. If it is placed on the ballot and becomes part of our state’s constitution, this initiative would give her special government privilege to own and operate a casino monopoly in Arkansas. What’s more, it would invite even more gambling to our state—a prospect that isn’t in the best interest of Arkansas’ families, communities, or economy.”

Cox continued by saying that his group will continue to watch this effort. “If this casino proposal is, in fact, placed on the ballot, we stand ready to fight it. We will tell Arkansas voters the truth about this misguided casino monopoly. It is a recipe for corruption; it will be a drain on our economy; and it will harm families.”

Family Council Action Committee is a conservative 501(c)(4) organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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