Arkansas Gambling Initiative Falls Short Of November Election
Arkansas voters moved in the direction of gambling when they approved a state lottery. Riding the wave of momentum, a businessman had hoped to parlay voter approval into full scale casinos in the state.
On Monday, a deadline came and went without a petition being filed in Arkansas. Without the petition, the issue will not be allowed to go before voters in the upcoming November election, and casino gambling will have to wait until another day.
Michael Wasserman had been proposing casinos for Miller, Jefferson, Boone, Crittenton, Sebastian, Garland, and Pulaski counties. In order to have the issue reach the ballot, 77,000 signatures were needed to be turned in and certified by August 2nd. Wasserman owns Arkansas Hotels and Entertainment Inc., which he proposed would operate the casinos.
"Even had Wasserman acquired the signatures needed to get the initiative on the ballot, there was little chance voters would have approved the deal this year," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "Residents of Arkansas are just getting used to the idea of gambling, and they may need a couple of more years before going fully into the industry."
Other states have wasted no time with gambling expansion. Florida lawmakers recently approved a Seminole Indian compact that allows blackjack and baccarat, among other games, in Florida casinos. Pari-mutuels also received the rights to offer longer poker room hours. All casinos in the state are now permitted to offer no-limit poker games.
In the Northeast, Pennsylvania has led the expansion by authorizing table games for their casinos earlier this year. The table games are expected to help Pennsylvania casinos compete with New Jersey to become the gaming capital of the East Coast.
Delaware legislators legalized sports betting, and New Jersey legislators may soon do the same to help their struggling Atlantic City casino industry. Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts are also considering adding additional gaming options for their residents.
August 2, 2010
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!