Arkansas Casino Legalization Proposal Approved For Ballot

A proposal to legalize casinos in Arkansas has been approved for the state's November ballot.

Secretary of State Mark Martin's office on Wednesday said supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment submitted more than the nearly 85,000 signatures from registered voters required to put the proposal on the ballot. Martin's office said it had determined 99,988 valid signatures were submitted.

The proposal would expand casino gambling at a Hot Springs horse track and a West Memphis dog track that already offer video poker and other electronic games. It would also allow casinos in Jefferson and Pope counties.

The pro-casino campaign has raised more than $2.2 million, nearly all of which has come from Cherokee and Quapaw tribes in Oklahoma.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.