Arcade Arkansas to suspend campaign, won’t submit signatures due to COVID-19

Arcade Arkansas, a ballot question committee that was seeking to expand coin-operated amusement machines in Arkansas, said it will suspend its campaign and not submit signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment.

The group cited difficulty in collecting signatures due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason for its suspension.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Arkansas, the committee decided to take a cautious approach and suspended signature gathering in response to public health concerns. With a second wave of cases in Arkansas seemingly larger than the initial wave, the committee has decided there is a moral duty to stop signature gathering for the remainder of the 2020 cycle so as not to contribute to the spread of this virus,” said Jason Cline, spokesperson for Arcade Arkansas.

The amendment would have authorized a limited number of coin operated amusement machines to operate in state through a constitutional amendment and generated a new stream of revenue for the state with a 20% tax on the machines, according to the group.

Arcade Arkansas said it would be filing close-out reports and end operations in the coming weeks.