Arkansas casino proposal gets 30-day extension

The proposal is to add four new casinos in Arkansas, which should help create more jobs for the state.

At first, the group turned in 94,880 signatures supporting the proposals, but only 70,054 were considered valid; 84,859 valid signatures are required for it to make the ballot.

In a letter addressed to Nate Steel Counsel to DAF, Election Director Leslie Bellamy said: “While this petition is currently insufficient, it does meet the thresholds contained in article 5 section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution to qualify for a 30-day cure period, subject to the decision of any court on review.”

The group has been given until 24 August 2018 to get the signatures required.

The proposals will allow the state’s Racing Commission to issue casino licenses to applicants within a two-mile radius of Russellville in Pope County and Pine Bluff in Jefferson County.

Licenses can also be granted to Southland Racing Corp. for a casino near Southland Gaming & Racing in West Memphis and to Oaklawn Jockey Club for a casino in Hot Springs.

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Jake Patel

Gambling Writer

Jake Patel is a journalist and content writer who began his media career as an Editorial Intern at Gambling Insider from June to September 2018. During his internship, he pitched, researched and wrote news stories for the publication’s website, contributing daily coverage on industry developments across the global gambling and iGaming sector.

Jake also produced editorial content for several of the brand’s print titles — including Gambling Insider, Tribal Focus Magazine, Trafficology and US Gaming Focus. His work involved conducting interviews with industry professionals, supporting feature creation, and assisting with editorial content commissioned for advertising partners.

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