Arkansas Supreme Court removes casino question from November ballot
BRANSON MO NEWS:
Peter Amsel
October 14, 2016
Casino gambling won’t be coming to the state of Arkansas anytime soon, thanks to the state Supreme Court.
Arkansas voters who head to the polls this November were expecting to face a ballot question (Issue 5) on whether to amend the state constitution to permit the opening of three standalone casinos in three different counties, including Boone County, which is just across the state line from the tourist mecca of Branson, Missouri.
But on Thursday, the state Supreme Court handed down a 3-1 ruling disqualifying Issue 5 because it didn’t clarify that voting ‘yes’ would put the state in conflict with federal law.
In addition to language authorizing the operation of three casinos, Issue 5 also defined ‘gaming’ with a very broad brush, including “accepting wagers on sporting events, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any game, divide, or type of wagering permitted at a casino [in any of seven different states, including Nevada] as of Nov. 8, 2016.”
The Court pointed out that the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) restricts single-game sports betting to Nevada, while allowing tepid sports lottery wagering in Delaware, Montana and Oregon. But no form of sports betting is …
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