“The Pope County casino license issued jointly to Legends and CNB on November 12, 2021, is declared a nullity and is void and of no effect.”
“The fact that CNB may be one of the members of Legends, or even the only member of Legends, does not alter the legal status that CNB and Legends are distinct and separate legal entities.”įox also said that CNB was not even an applicant when it received a license because its earlier application had been rejected by the Racing Commission.
“CNB and Legends are two separate legal entities,” Fox wrote in the ruling, dated Thursday. The Arkansas Racing Commission issued the license jointly to CNB and Legends. The Cherokees argued that Cherokee Nation Businesses, which does have experience running casinos, is the sole member of Legends Resort and Casino LLC. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox sided with arguments from a Legends competitor, Gulfside Casino Partnership, that Legends’ corporate structure meant that it did not have prior experience operating a casino and was not qualified to hold the Pope County license. The long-awaited ruling will be appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which will again decide the fate of Arkansas’ fourth and, for now, final casino. 13, 2023, at 5:40 p.m.Ī judge has stripped Legends Resort and Casino and Cherokee Nation Businesses of the license to operate a casino in Pope County.
