Here we go again. The Arkansas Racing Commission on Thursday issued the casino license in Pope County to Cherokee Nation Entertainment. The action follows several legal moves between competing casino operators that have stalled casino construction.
Gulfside Casino Partnership was initially awarded the Pope County license, but lost the license in a legal dispute with Cherokee Nation. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in October 2021 that Gulfside did not have a required official letter from an elected official during the active part of the application process, while Cherokee Nation did. Gulfside had relied on a letter from the previous county judge, who was no longer in office when the application was submitted.
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Jan. 11 it would not rehear a lower court decision that blocked granting of a casino license in Pope County to CNB. The rehearing denial returned the license process back to the Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC).
