POPE COUNTY, Ark — On Thursday, two companies with different plans but the same goal—to receive a casino license in Pope County—stood before a quorum court to prove their case as to why they are the better fit to have a casino license.
Gulfside Casino Partnership was the first one to take the stand, where they explained their mission and the layout of how they envision their casino looking in Pope County.
"Our proposal for the gaming and entertainment resort casino that we intend to bring to Polk County is laid out," said Casey Castleberry with Gulfside Casino Partnership. "It will include 70,000 square feet of gaming space, 1500 state-of-the-art slot machines, 50 table games, a dedicated sports betting area and multiple live music and entertainment venues."
Next to present was Cherokee Nation Entertainment, who thanked the quorum court for their "unwavering support and commitment to economic development."
"As you can see on this map, the Pope County casino will be a vital part of our regional growth strategy," Cherokee Nation Businesses CEO Chuck Garrett said. "We have contributed over $500,000 to local nonprofit organizations and volunteered over 1,000 hours to support their causes. Moreover, we have spent $40 million in out-of-pocket cash to purchase 325 acres of land, which will serve as a setting for the Legends Resort and Casino."
Two multimillion-dollar casino plans are on the agenda at the Pope County courthouse. Cherokee Nation Entertainment already has the important letter of support they need to win the license after making a deal with Pope County Judge Ben Cross earlier this year.
However, it didn't stop Gulfside Casino Partnership from upping their ante last week, and they got a chance to present their plans Thursday night.
"We think that it will be a resort that will attract people from a wide geographic area," Castleberry said. "Not just from Arkansas, but from Arkansas and all the surrounding states... on page 21, we lay out the economic impact that we expect our casino resort to have on the area, including almost 1,700 good jobs and a payroll in excess of $60 million."
After five years of legal fighting, the majority of the court appeared reluctant to walk away from their deal with Cherokee Nation Entertainment, leaving their leaders holding all the cards.
Even with Gulfside Casino Partnership having $100 million more on the table, the company seemed to have the deck stacked against them.
"In 2020, Gulfside promised 500 rooms, 900 by year five; now it's 300, which is it?" A Pope County resident said.
At the end of the game, a resolution to support Gulfside failed seven votes to five.
So far, only Cherokee Nation Entertainment has submitted an application to the state racing commission, which will eventually take all the applications and score them to decide who gets the license.
We asked Gulfside Casino Partnership if they still plan to apply without a support letter, and we haven't received an answer. They have until June 11 to apply.