Hoping Our Luck Holds (Opinion)

What is it we have against these casino amendments?

Is it the legalized monopoly?

The prohibition against state regulation?

The idea that Arkansans would write a private, for-profit company into our state’s primary governing document to deliberately create a monopoly and deliberately prohibit the kind of regulation that is industry standard?

All of the above.

We’ve been lucky so far to have avoided having one of these truly egregious casino proposals on the ballot.

A little more luck came our way recently. The Secretary of State’s Office determined the sponsor of one of two current casino proposals didn’t have enough voter signatures to get the measure on the general election ballot. The sponsor was Texan Michael Wasserman, who sought to enshrine seven casinos in the constitution. They — naturally — were to be operated by his venture, Arkansas Hotels & Entertainment Inc.

As of press time, Nancy Todd’s push to run four casinos in Arkansas remained in play. The professional poker player’s Poker Palace & Entertainment Venues LLC had also submitted signatures to place her can’t-lose proposal up to a vote.

Both proposed amendments would write their sponsors’ casinos into the Arkansas Constitution, give those casinos an exclusive state-sanctioned monopoly and prohibit the state from regulating their businesses in any way.

If the state determines Todd has enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot, then we’ll hope Arkansas voters see the folly of giving this Las Vegas gambler her way with their constitution. And we won’t just hope; we’ll continue to raise a fuss.

We hope sensible Arkansas voters, even those who would like to see full-blown casino gambling in our state, join us in rejecting such cynical opportunism.