Editorial: Support Keetoowah casino in Arkansas

Tuesday, April 24, 2007  

"Right now, hundreds — go count the license plates if you don’t believe us — of Arkansans head to the casinos each day to gamble. Those dollars are not being spent in Arkansas, not being taxed in any way, shape or form. The Arkansas dollars are spent in the Oklahoma casinos, never to return, never to benefit Arkansas. So that’s a given.

Now, put a first-class casino in Fort Smith and what happens? Suddenly, those dollars, instead of flying across the border like wind-tossed leaves, are being spent here. And although the casino would not be taxed, here’s the key: The Keetoowahs have said they would enter into an agreement with Fort Smith and Arkansas, giving 7.5 percent of their profits to the state and an equal sum to the city. That’s 15 percent of something whereas, now, the state and city get 100 percent of nothing.

The casino also could have an impact in other ways on Fort Smith, according to Bennie Westphal, the Fort Smith businessman and developer who is the driving force behind the casino plan. The hotel and casino the Keetoowahs want to build would cost $131 million and be located north of the city’s River Park. There would be 900 jobs created directly and 500 indirectly through ancillary businesses in the area, Westphal said. His prediction, based on the experience of other communities, is that the riverfront development would attract 200,000 visitors a year, would generate $2.7 million a year in sales taxes from purchases in Fort Smith and provide an annual economic impact of $50 million."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Casino Issue Not About Gambling (The Fort Smith Times Record 4/23)