It's On!

COMMUNITY LEADERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO OPPOSE LAS VEGAS-STYLE CASINOS IN ARKANSAS

LITTLE ROCK, AR – A diverse group of community leaders, law enforcement officers, and elected officials from around the state gathered at the State Capitol Thursday to announce the creation of Stop Casinos Now!, a committee to oppose ballot initiatives to bring Las Vegas – style casinos to Arkansas.   

“We’ve seen what happens when these full-scale casinos come to town – you get increased crime, higher unemployment, and more families going bankrupt,” said Chuck Lange, the committee chairman and former executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association.  “Nancy Todd is a Las Vegas insider, trying to come in and tell Arkansans what’s best for our state, so she can make a profit at our expense; we’ve got to stop her initiative. We want folks to be aware if they are asked to sign a petition, they need to think twice.  It’s going to take all of us working together to protect our communities and our families,” said Lange.

“Big casinos are a nightmare for the men and women out there working hard to keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Doc Holladay, Sheriff of Pulaski County, one of the locations where Todd proposes to authorize a casino.  “It has been shown that these casinos cause an increase in serious crime within the first few years of opening.  I say keep it in Vegas - we don’t want that in our backyard,” Holladay said.

Several state legislators have also joined the effort to stop this measure from reaching the ballot.  “This is bad policy, and it’s bad precedent,” said Rep. Prissy Hickerson (R-Texarkana).  “This initiative would not only change our state’s constitution, it would establish an unregulated casino industry that answers to no one. Setting something like this up with no oversight would be a gamble with our state’s future, and I think the stakes are too high for that,” said Hickerson.

“As a pastor, I believe these casinos will have a harmful impact on countless Arkansas families,” said Bishop Sam Wherry, Monticello.   “They prey on the poor, and as a religious leader, I’ve seen firsthand the destructive emotional and financial burden the addiction can have on individuals, their spouses, and their children,” said Wherry.

For more information, visit StopCasinosNow.com