LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Supreme Court has denied the second part of an attempt to block a casino amendment from going before voters this November.

Passage of Amendment 2 would revoke the casino license for Pope County that was granted after Arkansas voters decided in 2018 to allow four casinos to be built around the state.

The state supreme court had earlier split the argument for the group looking to block the amendment into two counts, one addressing issues with signatures from paid canvassers and the other into issues with the measure’s popular name and ballot title.

The ruling released Thursday addressed the second issue that lawyer Jennifer McGill, the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee and Cheroke Nation Entertainment brought in an attempt to keep the votes on the upcoming Amendment 2 from being tallied.

In denying this second count, the court ruled that both the popular name of the measure and longer ballot title both met state guidelines.

The Arkansas Supreme Court had ruled Monday to deny the first part of the complaint dealing with paid canvassers gathering signatures.

A spokesperson for Local Voters in Charge, the group sponsoring the measure, called the Thursday ruling “a great day for Arkansas” and said the group was grateful for the court’s decision.

“This is a great day for the people of Arkansas. We are one step closer to ensuring that local voters—not politicians and gambling lobbyists—have the final say on whether or not casinos are allowed in their hometowns,” spokesperson Hans Stiritz said. “Allowing local communities to determine their own future is a time-honored American value. Issue 2 keeps casinos from being forced on communities that vote against them.”

Cherokee Nation Entertainment was awarded the license for the casino by the Arkansas Racing Commission in late June after a years-long back-and-forth on the issue that saw the license awarded three different times.

Allison Burum, a spokesperson for Cherokee Nation Entertainment – Legends Resort & Casino Arkansas, said that despite the ruling her clients expected voters to defeat the measure next month.

“We know Arkansans will reject this sneaky amendment,” Burum said. “It is important for voters to know that Issue 2 is the only thing standing in our way of breaking ground on the $300M Legends Resort & Casino near Russellville, an economic development super project that is licensed, county-approved, and bringing 1,000 jobs and millions in new tax revenue. Vote against Issue 2.”

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, who represented Secretary of State John Thursdton’s office in this case, said he respected the ruling and that the final decision is now in the hands of voters.

“I respect the Court’s decision and am pleased the Court agrees with my office that the ballot title and popular name for the proposed casino amendment are not misleading,” Griffin wrote. “This issue will now be decided by the voters.”

Election Day in Arkansas is November 5.