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Arkansas Racing Commission denies appeal for Pope County casino license


(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
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Gulfside Casino Partnership remains the Pope County casino license holder after a three-hour-long meeting. On Thursday, the Cherokee Nation Businesses attempted to prove Gulfside was deceitful in their application process.

“This appeal will demonstrate why Gulfside Partnership should not be awarded a license regardless of what their scores are because they are in violation of your rules,” said CNB’s attorney, Dustin McDaniel.

McDaniel hammered Gulfside on their business dealings include what he called a pattern of bankruptcy issues, some dating back to 1989.

“Your scores on the 18th were based on misleading, incorrect, false, fraudulent information that was presented to you specifically with the purpose of deceiving you and hoping that you didn’t dig into it, look into it, find out about it until later,” added McDaniel.

On June 18, the commission decided to award the casino license to Gulfside. This led to CNB’s appeal – which asked the commission to recall the awarding of the license and issue CNB a license if they found Gulfside to be deceitful.

Gulfside’s attorney, Casey Castleberry, refuted most claims and explained the current partners’ connections to bankruptcy issues dating years ago. He also said they stand by the applications they submitted.

“I don’t think my competitor is in much of a position to complainthey’re on their third application, apparently fourth application, in which there have been changes made along the way. We submitted an application on May 17, 2019 – it’s the same application that was before you on June 18, 2020.”

Ultimately, the commission voted 3-2 to deny CNB’s appeal. When commission vice-chairman, Mark Lamberth, asked the commissioners whether they would re-score applications, no one answered. Lamberth concluded, “Silence is golden."

Following the meeting, Gulfside’s co-owner, Terry Green, released a statement to KATV:

“We appreciate the Racing Commission’s thoughtful decision and continued support and look forward to breaking ground on our first-class casino resort, which we believe will be an economic winner for Russellville, Pope County, and Arkansas.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for CNB said they’re still exploring further legal options. Later, an additional statement was provided by McDaniel.

“The Commission entered the full report of its consultant affirming that Legends is the superior applicant on all grading criteria, and we brought a mountain of proof that Mr. Green had made many misleading and inaccurate statements about their experience, finances, and Pope County project," he said.

"Then, Mr. Green admitted that his past financial and legal problems made him ineligible for four years to even hold a gaming license in Mississippi. Yet, the Commission declined to re-score the applications, denied our appeal by a 3-2 vote, and gave Gulfside the license in spite of everything. It will take me a while to wrap my head around that.”

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