Cherokee Nation contributes $1M for gaming petition in Arkansas

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Cherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker speaks at a topping-off ceremony on June 20, 2016, for the Cherokee Casino Grove, the tribe's 10th gaming facility. Photo from Anadisgoi / Cherokee Nation

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The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma contributed $1 million for efforts to legalize commercial gaming in Arkansas.

The big donation appears to have paid off. A group called Arkansas Wins in 2016 collected additional signatures in hopes of putting a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

"The reception has been pretty positive," a spokesperson for the group told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The gaming petition seeks to legalize three casinos in different areas of the state. Cherokee Nation Entertainment, a subsidiary of Cherokee Nation Businesses, plans to operate the one in Washington County.

The tribe operates nine casinos in Oklahoma, including one in West Siloam Springs, right near the Arkansas border. A 10th facility, located in Grove, is due to open this winter.

Read More on the Story:
More signatures back casinos in Arkansas (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 8/16)
Arkansas casino group turns in 50,000 additional signatures (AP 8/16)
Arkansas casino campaign wins more time to gather signatures (AP 7/29)