The Horseshoe Footprint

(This is part three of my four part post addressing the issue of building a casino/hotel complex in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Please read part one, "Milking The Cobra," and part two, “Brutal Reality,” before tackling this part.)

While in Omaha last week I picked up a copy of the local newspaper. I didn’t have to buy the paper because it was a complimentary copy furnished by the nearby Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs. My paper was wrapped in a double-sided-full-color-heavyweight-newsprint advertisement for the Horseshoe. The front side of the page told me I could “indulge without apology” in their 100,000 square foot casino. The back side promised “Five Times the Fun” and a $9.99 all-you-can-eat buffet. A complimentary shuttle would pick me up at my hotel upon request. In case you’re wondering, Council Bluffs http://www.councilbluffsiowa.com/ is in Iowa – just across the Missouri River from Omaha. http://www.visitomaha.com/

The Horseshoe is operated by Harrah’s, the same company that would operate the proposed casino/hotel complex in Fort Smith, and it’s a totally professional set up. Once you’re inside you can’t tell the difference between The Horseshoe and any casino you might visit in Vegas. So Harrah’s does everything possible to get you and your money inside The Horseshoe Casino - and they do just as much to make sure you and your money never have any reason to leave. If you’re actively gambling, your preferred beverage will be delivered to your location on the gaming floor by an attractive cocktail waitress. If you are known to the staff as a frequent gambler, your food will be furnished free of charge at one of the casino’s three gourmet restaurants. And if you leave enough money behind at the tables you’ll find the concierge happy to provide you with a complimentary hotel room, the size and luxury of which are mysteriously connected to the depth of your losses. In fact, it is a fundamental business principal for any successful casino to keep the customer on the property and at the tables as long as possible. And there’s the rub…

No matter what statistics may say, and no matter what positive benefits may be connected with a world-class casino/hotel complex in a town like Fort Smith, I just can’t get past what I’ve seen with my own bad eye. Casinos like the one proposed for Fort Smith do everything in their power to keep people and their money on the casino property. And it will be pretty much impossible to convince me that the future Fort Smith casino operation would be truly pleased if anyone attracted to Fort Smith by that casino spent a single dollar “off the reservation.”

But in the end, although debate on the pros and cons of a casino/hotel complex in Fort Smith may energize those of us wrestling with the issues at hand, it will have little impact on the outcome. Why? For two reasons which represent opposite sides of the same coin. First, there is no support for the idea anywhere within the Arkansas political delegation. Second, the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes have already established nearby casinos from which a Fort Smith based casino/hotel would drain revenue – and those tribes spend millions of dollars every year on political lobbying campaigns to protect their interests.

So here is my conclusion. With all due respect to Bennie Westphal, I do not believe there is a way to complete the Keetowah Casino & Hotel complex before Fort Smith’s Titanic hits the iceberg identified in the TIP Strategies report.

I’ve only met Mr. Westphal once but from what I’ve seen and heard I seriously doubt that he will give up in the face of political opposition. And I am not so arrogant to think that I have all the information available. In fact, I am absolutely certain that Bennie Westphal knows far more about this issue than I ever will. Nevertheless, I can’t imagine what information could come to light that would alter my basic conclusion.

And now it’s time to put up or shut up. If I’m so willing to figure out what can’t be done, I owe it to my community to figure out what can be done - and take whatever action is within my power to help. I’m going to start by suggesting several possibilities here and elaborating in my next post.

1. Recruit members of the Hyper Creative Class and their related businesses to our region.
2. Establish a major intermodal port facility on the Arkansas River.
3. Develop a privately owned and operated multi-sport athletic complex along the riverfront.
4. Permanently locate an active duty Army Brigade at Fort Chaffee.
5. Create an entrepreneurial incubator designed specifically for the Hyper Creative business.
6. Continue to coordinate with and aggressively support UAFS

I guess this means that part four of this post will have six chapters. Look for chapter one in the next few days.