Arkansas Racing Commission Greenlights Casinos to Apply for Licenses

Following numerous examples of more and more states opening their doors to various forms of gambling, Arkansas has made another significant step forward regarding this. The Racing Commission has started accepting applications for…

…casino license, with the Downstream Development Authority of the Oklahoma Quapaw Tribe as the first candidate. The group has submitted the proposal to obtain certification to operate in Jefferson Country.

Beyond Any Expectations

As Nate Steel, a legal counsel for the applicant announced, this will be an excellent opportunity for 2,000 job seekers to employ during construction, with 1,000 permanent positions after that. The expected direct tax revenue will be close to $10 million on an annual basis. He also added that:

“This is beyond just dollars and cents for the Quapaw Tribe of Arkansas.”

Troubles with Mississippi Gulfside Casino

While this project stands more than positive chances to become reality, there are certain issues with Mississippi Gulfside Casino. Though the approval for construction was officially penned, a recent course of events questions the whole project. Though the state voters okayed the idea…

…the amendment giving the locals the power to make a decision to agree or disagree with the idea saw the legislation rejected by 60%-40% vote. This comes as a shock, having in mind that the project would also bring plenty of job opportunities. In addition to this, local developers already launched a web page…

… for the venue that was supposed to start operating in fall 2020. Despite the fact that the new regulation has already been sketched, the final outcome is still uncertain, at least until all the controversies are cleared out.

Sports Betting’s Bright Future

On the other hand, the situation is far more favorable regarding the idea of implementing a multi-channel sports betting. According to the back in November 2018 when the legislation idea…

…was okayed from the highest instances in the state. As for the Bill, the most important part discussed were the fees. As for the cost of the operating permission, it should be $1,000 (£758/€890). In case the bid is successful, half of the amount would be refunded to the applicant. The bill also allows the local operators to partner up with out-of-state suppliers and expand their offer.

Source:

“Arkansas Racing Commission Accepts Casino License Application”, Niji Narayan, europeangaming.eu, May 6, 2019.