It pays to read the newspaper, and follow those jumps to the inside pages.
If you just watched TV or skimmed headlines, you might know that there's an effort afoot to add more casinos to Arkansas. Just having four gambling spots--in Hot Springs, West Memphis, Pine Bluff and maybe another up the river (one day)--doesn't appear to make Arkansas enough like Nevada, the state out west.
So one outfit wants Arkansas to issue 16 casino licenses to private operators around the state. Soon Arkansas could be lit up! And as gaudy as Atlantic City, or as grim as Shreveport.
Then we follow the story to the jump, and note some more details that are just trickling out:
"Arkansas Wins in 2020 Inc.'s proposed amendment would authorize the racing commission to issue one casino license apiece to different companies in Benton, Boone, Chicot, Garland, Greene, Jefferson, Johnson, Miller, Nevada, Sebastian, St. Francis, and Washington counties, and two casino licenses in Crittenden and Pulaski counties to four different companies . . . ."
Wait uh minute.
Nevada, as in the county in south Arkansas? Not the state out west, but the rural county between Magnolia and Arkadelphia?
Nevada County?
The people of Nevada (pronounced Nuh-VAY-duh) County, Ark., have refused over the years to allow liquor sales. Why would residents who continually vote to keep their place dry want a casino?
Where would the casino set up shop? Willisville? From where would it attract its customer base? Cale?
Rosston just got a Dollar Store. Now it's up for a casino?
One lady we know, who knows Nevada County better than anybody, laughed out loud at the prospect. She imagined somebody could open a casino in Prescott, and get truckers off the interstate. But if there are to be casinos in Miller County (Texarkana) and casinos in Garland County (Hot Springs) are we to believe that Prescott needs a casino, too? Do truckers need casinos along I-30 more often than they need restrooms?
Doubtless if there ever comes a day when Nevada County gets a casino, it will mostly pull its profits from the people of Nevada County, and send that money who knows where. As much as some of us appreciate the natural beauty and outstanding hunting that Nevada County provides, Bodcaw is never going to be a destination gambling mecca.
With every detail that comes out of Arkansas Wins 2020, we are more and more inclined to vote against its proposal.