State Lottery Director Opposes Slot Machine Amendment

Casinos, ,

Last week Arkansas Lottery Director Bishop Woosley issued a public statement opposing efforts to bring casino-style gambling machines to Arkansas.

Woosley’s statement was part of a press conference by Protect Arkansas Communities, a group that opposes Arcade Arkansas’ slot machine measure.

Arcade Arkansas spent over $78,000 last month alone on its petition drive.

The group has until July 3 to gather nearly 90,000 valid petition signatures in order to place their proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

If passed, Arcade Arkansas’ measure would amend the state constitution to allow thousands of casino-style gambling machines all over Arkansas under the auspices of the state lottery.

This measure could potentially turn gas stations and convenience stores into miniature casinos offering gambling 24 hours a day.

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Arkansans Bet Over $700,000 on Super Bowl

Casinos,

Last week we wrote that Arkansas’ new casinos now offer sports betting.

On Tuesday KUAR reported that Arkansans wagered more than $705,000 on the Super Bowl alone this year.

As we’ve said before, sports betting poses a real threat to sports leagues — especially at colleges and universities.

It threatens to undermine the integrity of athletic programs.

All told, Arkansans have wagered approximately $11.5 million on sporting events since last summer, according to KUAR.

In other words, casino gambling and sports betting are pulling millions of dollars out of Arkansas’ economy.

Read more about this story here.

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Arkansas Casinos Offer Gambling on College Basketball, Professional Sports

Gambling,

Southland casino in West Memphis is offering sports betting ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Journalist Mike Wickline reports,

The casino’s retail sportsbook began accepting wagers on Sunday’s big game, NBA games, college basketball, NASCAR racing, PGA tournaments and more, Southland marketing manager Natalie Carlson said.

Sports betting is also offered at the Saracen casino annex in Pine Bluff — which is operated by the Quapaw Tribe out of Oklahoma — and at Oaklawn’s casino in Hot Springs.

Sports betting poses a real threat to sports leagues — especially at colleges and universities. It threatens to undermine the integrity of school athletic programs.

In 2017, Arkansans reported nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in gambling losses on their income taxes, according to the Department of Finance and Administration.

Simply put: Casino gambling and the state lottery are sapping hundreds of millions of dollars out of Arkansas’ economy every year.

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