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A constitutional amendment slated to go before Arkansas voters in November would authorize a casino in three counties in the state. Boone County abuts the state of Missouri just south of Branson.(Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)Buy Photo

Two southwest Missouri men are behind an effort that would allow a casino in the Arkansas county closest to Branson — a community that historically has voiced concerns that gambling could alter its reputation.​

Arkansas residents will vote in November on a proposed constitutional amendment that would award licenses for three casinos to companies owned by Bob Womack, of Branson, and Jim Thompson, of Blue Eye. One license would be specific to Boone County, which has its seat in Harrison, while the others would pertain to Washington County and Miller County.

The seat of Washington County is Fayetteville. Miller County is in the southwest corner of the state.

Arkansas state law currently doesn't allow for stand-alone casinos, although it permits electronic "games of skill" at two racetracks, in Hot Springs and in West Memphis.

A spokesman for Arkansas Wins — the group spearheading the casino push — told the News-Leader the effort is fundamentally "about bringing thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue back to Arkansas from other states." A group opposing the measure has filed a lawsuit in an effort to have it removed from the ballot.

Other opponents of the casinos include top Boone County officials.

"I don't think it's really a fit for our county," Harrison Mayor Dan Sherrell told the News-Leader.

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The theater-studded Branson strip is about 12 miles north of the the northern border of Boone County, Arkansas. (Photo: News-Leader File Photo)

Branson officials monitoring effort

It's not clear exactly where in Boone County a casino would go if a majority of Arkansas voters approve the amendment on Nov. 8.

Arkansas Wins spokesman Robert Coon said a market analysis would be performed in each area to determine a specific location, appropriate size, amenities and entertainment offerings.

"Boone County, given its proximity to existing tourism draws like Branson, could see significant economic and tax revenue growth by providing more entertainment, lodging, and restaurant choices on our side of the border," Coon said.

Sherrell, however, said he assumes the casino would be built as close to the state line as possible, to take advantage of Branson's tourism base. The theater-studded Branson strip is about 12 miles north of the border.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Branson Board of Aldermen voted multiple times to approve resolutions declaring their opposition to gambling in the region, generally on the grounds that a casino could negatively impact what is seen as Branson's family-friendly brand.

"We would lose all the business we built up," the city's mayor told the News-Leader in 2003. "I've talked to hundreds of groups that come here, and I've never talked to one that wished we had gambling. We don't need it."

In 2004, when a casino was proposed for the town of Rockaway Beach — about a 20-minute drive northeast of Branson — the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce publicly opposed the measure. Leaders of Herschend Family Entertainment, owners of Silver Dollar City and other Branson attractions, were key financial backers of the anti-casino group Show Me You Care.

Missouri voters ultimately rejected the amendment that would have allowed the Rockaway Beach casino, although the town's mayor is preparing the town for another attempt.

Lisa Rau, spokeswoman for Silver Dollar City, said this week it was "too premature" for the company to comment on the Arkansas or Rockaway Beach casino efforts.

Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Seifried said he was concerned a nearby casino could further challenge a region that struggles to attract workers at times, and that “anything that is going to possibly negatively impact our brand I’m extremely cautious about."

He added, however, that it was hard to assess likely impacts without more information, and that the chamber was largely monitoring the situation.

“I don’t at this time envision us getting actively involved in some campaign,” he said.

Branson Mayor Karen Best, which was elected to the office last year, said a casino would "definitely have an impact on Branson," although it wasn't a major topic of conversation in town. Best noted that many jobs in the city are seasonal, and said some workers might opt for positions at a casino offering year-round employment.

"As a community, we need to be prepared, and look at how that will impact our workforce," she said.

Who is behind the Arkansas measure?

The Committee to Protect Arkansas' Values/Stop Casinos Now, which opposes the Arkansas amendment and has received money from the state's existing gaming industry, filed a lawsuit earlier this month asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to prevent officials from counting any votes for the measure in November.

The lawsuit claims the ballot title's language is misleading to voters and doesn't inform them of the consequences of the measure. It also claims the group behind the measure didn't follow state law for reporting paid canvassers. Coon said he is confident the measure will survive the court challenge.

In a news release announcing the lawsuit, Stop Casinos Now Chairman Chuck Lange referred to the backers of the casino measure as "shadowy, out-of-state characters."

The amendment’s ballot question committee, Arkansas Wins in 2016, is composed of five members, according to the group’s filing with the Arkansas Ethics Commission. While Womack and Thompson listed a Missouri address, the other three members listed addresses in Arkansas.

Coon said Womack and Thompson are the owners of the companies that would have the casino licenses under the amendment, and that they were not doing interviews.

Womack graduated from Arkansas State University in 1971, served in the U.S. Army and started his own excavating company in Jonesboro, Arkansas, before moving to Branson in the early '90s, Coon said. He ultimately founded what became known as the Mountain Complex, a data center and warehouse fashioned out of a former mine near Branson, Coon said.

Thompson worked in the construction industry in the St. Louis area before moving to Branson in 1993 and starting his own companies, according to a resume forwarded by Coon. Jimco Development built more than 150 condominiums in Foxpointe Condominiums at Branson Hills, while Foxcreek Construction has built custom homes and completed commercial remodeling projects. Thompson also works as general manager at Branson West Marine and Powersports, according to the resume.

While Womack and Thompson would own the companies with the casino licenses, other companies with experience in the gambling industry would operate them, Coon said. Cherokee Nation Entertainment has agreed to operate the Washington County casino, but companies have not been named for the other facilities.

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Dan Sherrell, mayor of Harrison, Arkansas, doesn't support a measure that would allow in Boone County. Harrison is the county seat. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

Harrison mayor, Boone County sheriff oppose casino

Sherrell, Harrison's mayor, said he opposes a casino in Boone County because he's concerned it could cause an uptick in crime.

He acknowledged a casino would mean jobs and increased tax revenues, but noted the latter would primarily benefit the state. Each casino authorized by the amendment would pay an annual net gaming receipts tax of 18 percent to the state, in addition to 0.5 percent to the county and 1.5 percent to the city or town in which the casino is located.

The casinos would be permitted to operate 24 hours a day and to sell or serve complimentary alcoholic beverages during all hours of operation.

Sherrell said he didn't really have a sense of whether the measure was likely to be approved by voters. A Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College survey of 831 likely Arkansas voters conducted Sept. 15-17 found 38 percent in favor of the amendment and 49 percent against, with the remainder undecided. The margin of error was 3.4 percent.

"If it does pass, we'll work with whoever we need to work with," Sherrell said.

Boone County Sheriff Mike Moore has also publicly spoken against the casino, telling television station KY3: "I think it would be horrible for our community, especially if our community votes no, and the whole state votes yes, and this gets crammed down our throats, it's wrong."

"I'm afraid there's going to be more bankruptcies," Moore said. "I'm afraid there's going to be more foreclosures. I'm afraid there's going to be more domestic violence."

On the streets of Harrison, however, it's more than possible to find residents who don't see a nearby casino as a concern.

"If you don't like it, don't go," said Charlie Smith, who owns the Hot Dog Shoppe in downtown Harrison.

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Of the casino that has been proposed for Boone County, Charlie Smith says, "If you don't like it, don't go." Smith owns the Hot Dog Shoppe in downtown Harrison, Arkansas. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)

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