On November 20, the Choctaw Nation officially submitted a request to build and run a casino within Pope County with the Arkansas Racing Commission. This came only three days after the Cherokee nation submitted an amended request for the same license according to reliable Online Gambling source Calvinayre.com
The Cherokee Nation is considered to be the leading contender for the warrant, according to recent reports.
For quite a while, the Choctaw Community had been researching this theory. The Matteson Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Indian tribe at the end of October to plan to build a casino. The trustees backed the change by a 6-0 vote, as the funds would go towards the construction of a trauma unit in the southern suburbs.
The official petition identified the Commerce Division of the Choctaw Nation as the organization officially requesting the application. It adds, however, that the application comes from the Choctaw Nation’s TVSHKA Gaming subsidiary.
The request received no letters of support from officials of the Pope County. County officials seem to be firmly behind the Cherokee plan, but do not have the same level of enthusiasm for the Choctaw’s application.
Some, however, expressed disbelief about the submission of Choctaw. He explained his shock in a statement, according to county judge Ben Cross, when he explained, “It is surprising that they would submit an incomplete application that lacks the constitutional requirements of Amendment 100.”
Amendment 100 allows the construction of a new casino in the counties of Pope and Jefferson and the expansion of operations at the Hot Springs and West Memphis racetrack facilities. Both proposed casinos, though, are expected to have county officials ‘ endorsements. This is what leads many to raise their collective heads as they ask why the Choctaw Community should participate, recognizing that they did not meet the amendment criteria.
Choctaw Nation has already collaborated with Legends, the consulting agency established by Jerry Jones, owner of Dallas Cowboys, and George Steinbrenner, founder of late New York Yankees. In a statement they explained that if the state grants them the license, the management company will “manage the process for the casino’s design and development.”
