A group of people eager to build a casino near Russellville held a press conference Wednesday to urge voters to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would derail their plans.

Pope County Judge Ben Cross stood alongside a bulldozer and the casino’s license, which was issued by state regulators earlier this year.

Speaking from a dais set up on the site where the Pope County casino would be built, Cross said the project was not an abstract idea but something that is real and tangible, and that it will benefit the Arkansas River Valley.