Guest writer

Arkansas can win

Casinos are economic boon

The recent editorial by this paper titled "Still, let's not" included a laundry list of basic arguments as to why voters should reject the proposed constitutional amendment to authorize one casino in each of Boone, Miller, and Washington counties.

One thing the editorial got right was that Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which would be involved in the proposed casino in Washington County, "knows how to do this sorta thing" and they do it well.

In fact, Cherokee Nation Entertainment is one of the largest and most successful tribal businesses in the country, managing restaurants, entertainment venues, retail shops, golf courses, museums, hotels, and a portfolio of nine gaming properties, including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Their impact on the state of Oklahoma in terms of job creation, economic development and tax revenue has been significant, with more than 4,000 employees, a payroll of $182.7 million, job creation and business development of $45.4 million, and gaming fees of $28.4 million in the most recent fiscal year.

Unfortunately, the editorial virtually ignored the existence of casino-style gaming that is already present in and around Arkansas, holding the casinos that would be authorized by this proposal to a different standard than those currently operating in the marketplace.

For starters, the editorial lamented the possibility of new highway signs advertising "Blackjack!" and "Poker!" should this amendment qualify and pass. The practical reality is that all one has to do right now is take a quick drive down Interstate 30 or I-40, or simply get off a plane at Clinton National Airport, in order to be marketed to by an out-of-state casino or an in-state purveyor of electronic games of skill.

Also called into question was the "price" at which we would "sell our state"--a clever yet cynical dismissal of the economic benefits that this proposal will bring to Arkansas.

When the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation to allow electronic games of skill at Oaklawn and Southland several years ago, it did so with the stated intent that "many Arkansans travel to adjoining states in order to wager at legal gambling establishments in those states. This adversely impacts Arkansas tourism and results in certain economic activity leaving Arkansas for the benefit of adjoining states." They were right, and the same argument holds true today.

In 2014, casinos in Louisiana supported more than 31,000 jobs and generated more than $580 million for the state in gaming tax revenue alone. In Mississippi, the industry supported just over 36,000 jobs and produced roughly $250 million in gaming tax revenue.

This type of economic impact is real, and it's significant. Unless voters pass this amendment, many of these jobs will continue to go to our neighboring states, and it will be their citizens--not ours--who will benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in annual gaming tax revenue in the form of new roads, better schools, and lower taxes.

The fact of the matter is that Arkansas already has casino gaming. This amendment would bring needed competition to the marketplace, not only giving Arkansans more choices in gaming, but also new entertainment, hotel, and restaurant options that will help drive tourism and economic growth.

And with the potential for tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenue and thousands of jobs that this proposal would enable, it doesn't take a Vegas odds-maker to see that it's a win-win proposition.

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Robert Coon is spokesperson for Arkansas Wins in 2016.

Editorial on 06/30/2016

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