A tribe based in Oklahoma gave $1.4 to a campaign to legalize four casinos in Arkansas.
According to the Driving Arkansas Forward committee, the Quapaw Tribe in Oklahoma donated $191,000 in August and that makes the total contribution $1.4 million.
The proposal on the November 6 ballot would enable the Arkansas State Racing Commission to issue licenses to two new casinos, one near Pine Bluff in Jefferson County and one near Russellville in Pope County. Reports in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette indicate the Quapaw Tribe would apply for the license near Pine Bluff.
The November 6 vote also expands gambling at the horse track in Hot Springs and a gambling operation on West Memphis, Arkansas.
The Driving Arkansas Forward committee also got about $1 million from the Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC in Oklahoma, which reportedly has an interest in a casino in Pope County. There is opposition to the vote from two committees, Ensuring Arkansas’ Future and Citizens for Local Choices, which asked the state Supreme Court to strike the proposal from the ballot.