Arkansas Poker Measure Facing Uphill Battle

A petition drive in the state of Arkansas to put a ballot measure on for the November elections is facing challenges after a tumultuous battle to even be considered by the people of the Natural State.

In Arkansas, there are no legal gaming outlets available for their citizens to partake of casino games and, in particular, poker. Looking at not only changing that but also offering the state a chance to increase revenues, poker industry veteran and political consultant Nancy Todd spearheaded a drive to change that earlier this year. Todd’s involvement in the poker arena (she is a former World Poker Tour Women’s Champion) and the political realm (she has worked as a consultant to over 196 campaigns in 42 states and six different countries) made her an excellent person to take on the challenge of creating a “safe and responsible” gaming atmosphere for poker in the state.

Through a petition drive, Todd took to the streets of Arkansas to gather support from the citizenry for the measure. The petition that people signed sought to create a ballot initiative that would allow the entire state to vote on the issue of creating four poker locations in four counties (Pulaski, Miller, Franklin and Crittenden counties) that would be called “Nancy Todd’s Poker Palace” and operated by Todd and Entertainment Venues, LLC. The petition spelled out many aspects of the business from who could participate to how the revenues would be divided.

As with most Nevada and New Jersey casino operations, no one under the age of 21 would be allowed entrance. The net revenues of the venues would be subjected to a 12.5% tax, of which several areas of Arkansas’ infrastructure would receive funds. Arkansas public schools, the Arkansas Department of Veteran Affairs, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and several other areas would benefit from the proposed poker outlets payment of taxes.

The initial petition drive saw tremendous support from the residents of Arkansas. When the filing period ended in early July, 80,373 signatures had been compiled; with only 73,000 needed to get the ballot measure on the November slate (the ballot measure was needed as it would constitute a change to the Arkansas constitution), it was expected that the drive was a success.

Unfortunately, this is where the saga of Todd’s attempts has hit a few roadblocks. After a review of all the petitions that had been signed, it was found that only 23,616 of those could be independently verified, far short of the 73,000 necessary. According to Arkansas laws, a verifiable petition would have to be signed by a registered voter in the state.

The measure also found some in Little Rock, the state capitol, reluctant to enter into the gaming business. Allegations of a monopoly by Todd’s organization were rampant as were the legalities of how the revenues would be distributed (the distribution method was later found to be acceptable by law). Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel expressed his concerns about the monopoly question in an interview with the Russellville Courier News, stating, “(The measure) would give one person, by name, exclusive rights to control the licenses for a billion-dollar industry.”

On July 24, Todd was informed of the deficiencies in the petition numbers and that she would have thirty days to gather the required verifiable number of signatures to have the ballot initiative on the November slate. For her part, Todd stated to several outlets that the petition drive was ongoing – as she expected that the verification process would leave her short – and is confident that additional canvassing will be able to make up the difference before the August 24 deadline.

Strangely enough, Todd’s initiative isn’t the only one that would bring gaming and poker to Arkansas. Texas businessman Michael Wasserman has also submitted his own petitions to amend the state’s constitution to allow for full-fledged casino operations, which could leave the two outlets to not only battle against opponents but also potentially against each other.

With slightly more than three weeks left, Todd continues the efforts to get her ballot measure approved by Arkansas election officials. There is a dedicated website, www.nancytoddspokerpalace.com, where the people of Arkansas can go to learn more about the petition and find one of over two dozen locations around the state where they can sign the petition. With some good luck, perhaps Todd can meet the necessary goal of the petition drive and give the citizens of Arkansas the right to express their opinion on the poker issue.