Highway casino proposal ‘parked’ by Attorney General

It’s been extremely rare, if ever, that I have agreed with the Republican Arkansas attorney general, Leslie Rutledge. Finally, she may have gotten it correct.

This past week, the often distracted and highest elected lawyer in Arkansas, Leslie Rutledge, aided, no doubt, by her staff, tossed the ballot title for a proposed state constitutional amendment that would allow the establishment of a trio of casinos and subsequently use their profits and revenue to fund state highways.

It was a bad, bad, bad written proposal.

In the written opinion, which some staffer prepared, the AG’s office said the proposal’s ballot title had “ambiguities” in its wording.

I can clearly say that, while attempting to find a strong source of revenue for the state’s highways is needed, this is not the proper way to go about locating the dollars for roads.

The private group — it always is a private group for the gambling amendments — sought to direct much of the tax on gambling profits to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Just how much financial impact this proposal would have is still, pardon the pun, a crapshoot.

Such proposals always, at first blush, look interesting. This proposal, as do others from previous years, wants to expand the games of chance that fuel tourism and seem to accompany a steady stream of gambling profits.

Arkansans, for the most part, have already seen a financial flourish of gambling institutions in the state — Oaklawn (the horse track at Hot Springs) and the dog track at West Memphis. And the state’s scholarship lottery, even after some “down” years — seems to be generating a lot of money for college scholarships.

But, in reality, the amount of money funneled back to the gas station or convenience store lottery scratcher or number guessers on Powerball and Meg-a-million is minuscule — much like the odds of winning one of these multi-state drawings.

Still, Arkansans apparently like to support these institutions. And so do the tourists visiting Arkansas.

I dare to say, West Memphis Southland Park Gaming and Racing draws more people across the I-30 and I-55 bridges from Tennessee and North Mississippi into Arkansas than cross the bridge from Arkansas into, say, the flat-line casinos in nearby Tunica, Miss.

But let us get back to this ill-timed and hairbrained proposal to fund highways.

The proposal was rejected by Rutledge’s office because the AG is required by state law to certify the popular name and ballot title of proposed constitutional amendments before the supporters can begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November general election.

The proposed popular title gave the AG’s staff, and even me, a little pause.

Calling the proposal, “The Arkansas Casino Gambling and Highway Funding Amendment of 2018,” was a stretch — a big stretch — and long odds on its being accepted.

In short, the measure, in its proposed form, would permit a total of three casinos to be located in the counties of Crawford, Crittenden, Jefferson, Miller, Mississippi, Pope, Union or White, with no more than one casino allowed in a county.

Three of those counties have a majority of their populations below the state and federal poverty standards. All but two are on or near the state border with other states. Three of these counties do not allow retail alcohol sales.

The proposal folks — called Driving Arkansas

Forward — estimate that $45 million could be raised for the state Transportation Department.

They also make some tempting entries’ that a full 30 percent of the 12 percent gambling tax would be split by the county and the city where these casinos operate.

But even a quick cash grab by the counties, cities and regions of our state won’t make this proposal solid enough for inspection by the state’s AG’s office.

And, in closing, I have to agree with AG Rutledge: the words “casino” and “casino gambling” need a lot more definition.

A bad proposal was sent skittering back to the wordsmiths early on. Will it be back?

Oh, yeah. These are like that old bad penny. Such quick-fix tax schemes built around gambling always hang around in politics.