The Quapaw Tribe is hoping to bring gaming to Arkansas, its ancestral homeland.
The tribe is backing a ballot initiative that would authorize up to three casinos in the state, according to news reports. Revenues from the "Driving Arkansas Forward" effort would be used to fund highway and transportation programs. "The Quapaw Tribe has a longstanding interest in economic development in Arkansas, so we’re eager to partner with a coalition supporting a constitutional amendment to bring gaming to Jefferson County and other counties in Arkansas," Chairman John Berrey said in a statement quoted by the local media. The tribe has trust land near the Port of Little Rock but Berrey has previously said there are no plans for a casino at the site. The land is located within the tribe's former reservation in Arkansas. The ballot initiative, The Arkansas Casino Gaming and Highway Funding Amendment of 2018, would not authorize gaming in that particular county. The initiative could appear on the November ballot if enough signatures are gathered. In related news, the tribe has launched its own line of in-house brewed craft beers at its Downstream Casino Resort, The Grand Lake News reported. That facility is located in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Read More on the Story: