This November, it was expected that voters in the state of Arkansas would be deciding if three counties in the state would be allowed to offer casino gaming. However, just last week the state Supreme Court ruled that the referendum is invalid due to not properly informing voters that the law would approve sports betting which would be in violation of federal law in Arkansas. The majority of the court said the ballot title was misleading.
Arkansas Wins in 2016 is the group behind the proposal who is now asking the state Supreme Court if the ruling on the matter can be reconsidered. Yesterday, the group filed a petition to see a rehearing take place in regards to the decision by the court to disqualify the proposal for a constitutional amendment.
The amendment would have allowed casinos to be created in three counties of the state; Boone, Washington, and Miller. The court ruled that the title of the ballot did not inform voters that the bill would violate the sports gambling law on a federal level that prohibits the activity from taking place.
On Tuesday, the group stated that the potential conflict was not something that needed to be disclosed in the title since sports gambling is not an essential feature to the proposed amendment. The referendum also has a severability clause allowing lawmakers to remove any non-essential elements and instructs Arkansas lawmakers to bring the final provision in line with state law.