The Fair Play for Arkansas committee that proposed a constitutional amendment to remove Pope County as a location for a casino under Amendment 100 of the Arkansas Constitution won't submit petitions for its proposal to the secretary of state’s office by Monday's deadline, a committee spokesman said.
"When we launched this campaign last month, a federal judge had ruled that signatures could be submitted on petitions without a notarized witness, which would have allowed our volunteer network to operate safely within the limitations of the pandemic," said committee spokesman Hans Stiritz, noting that the ruling was stayed and would likely remain overturned.
The Arkansas Racing Commission already has authorized three casinos under Amendment 100 to the Arkansas Constitutional approved by voters in November of 2018.
Gambling operations and race tracks in Hot Springs and West Memphis have been expanded to full-fledged casinos, and a casino is under construction in Pine Bluff under Amendment 100. The amendment also authorizes the racing commission to issue a casino license in Pope County, which it hasn't done yet.
Stiritz said the group was encouraged by the many Arkansans that agreed to sign their names to the petition.
"Going forward, the citizens of Pope County will continue to fight for the same freedom from predatory gambling and intrusion on our community enjoyed by 71 counties in our state. We will use every available political, judicial, and legislative avenue to stop out-of-state interests from forcing their (elsewhere illegal) business into our community," Stiritz said.