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Arkansas Online Sports Betting 2024

by Michael Sciangula (msciangula) Last Updated 2024-07-03T23:26:49

Arkansas, a state that had long been anti-gambling, officially burst onto the scene when local voters approved Amendment 100 in November 2018. The amendment would allow for full casino operations to take place at four different locations in the state (West Memphis, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, and Russellville) and even included legal Arkansas sports betting as an added bonus. This legislation would, however, only allow for retail sports betting. The first legal sports betting took place shortly after the amendment’s approval. Due to this caveat, any and all potential mobile sports betting operations in Arkansas were temporarily forced to take a backseat.

Once Amendment 100 was officially given the green light, the first legal sports bet in the state’s history was placed at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in July 2019. Oaklawn, Southland Casino & Racing, and Saracen Casino Resort would end up being the only three land-based casinos open for business in the state. Arkansas’ total sports betting handle would reach over $11 million to close out the year before nearly tripling to over $30 million in 2020. Despite all of the early success, they weren’t done just yet.

On December 30, 2021, the Arkansas Racing Commission unanimously voted to allow the expansion of online sports gambling within the state. It took a while, but mobile betting finally arrived in The Land of Opportunity on April 27, 2022, when Betly went live on smartphone apps (a Betly website was live on March 5 but there was no app until April). Since then, BetSaracen and Oaklawn Sports also opened up their virtual doors, and all three are currently accepting wagers from bettors anywhere in the state.

Make sure to keep up with this page for any and all new information regarding the legalization of mobile sports betting in Arkansas.

Getting Started at Arkansas Online Sports Betting Sites

Age Restrictions

All players who wish to legally place wagers in Arkansas must be at least 21 years or older.

Location Requirements

In order to place any legal wagers in the state of Arkansas, mobile players will need to be physically located inside state lines. Players are not required to be a resident of Arkansas in order to sign up, however, they will not be able to do much with their sports betting apps when located outside of the state.

Basically every single mobile sports betting provider uses geolocation technology to ensure that their players are abiding by the rules. Geolocation, by definition, is the process of identifying one’s geographical location by means of digital information processed through the internet. Most smartphones or mobile devices already come equipped with built-in GPS technology to determine location, while computers typically require some sort of geolocation software to be downloaded.

Registration

Players will be able to register for a sports betting app or website from the comfort of their own home once mobile betting is fully up and running in Arkansas.

As of now, players can only place legal sports wagers at one of the three brick-and-mortar casinos in the state, meaning all registration must take place in person. We’ve seen other states carry over this in-person registration requirement even after mobile betting was legalized, so we can be thankful that Arkansas did not.

As far as the actual registration process goes, the majority of brand-name sportsbooks typically follow the same structure. Regardless of which book you decide to roll with, there’s a good chance you will be asked to enter the following personal information before getting started:

And no need to be alarmed, any and all information provided to any of the regulated Arkansas sportsbooks will always be safe, secure, and kept confidential. Most sportsbooks in the United States require this personal information in order to confirm identities and prevent underage or other forms of illegal gambling.

Laws and Regulations in Arkansas

As of right now, only two racinos (Oaklawn & Southland), one casino resort (Saracen), and one forthcoming casino (TBD) are permitted to operate retail and legal online sports betting.

The sports betting legal status in Arkansas was established through state-wide ballots that approved both land-based and mobile sports betting. The Arkansas Racing Commission plays a crucial role in regulating sports betting activity, ensuring compliance with state regulations.

Taxes and License Fees

Arkansas follows the same graduated tax rate for sports betting and casino operations. The first $150 million of revenue is to be taxed at a 13% rate, while anything beyond that amount will move up to 20%. The Arkansas sports betting site highlights that the tax revenue generated from sports betting contributes significantly to the state’s budget.

Applicants who wish to occupy the fourth and final sports betting license in Arkansas will have to pay up to a $250,000 application fee. If accepted, this would include the right to host both casino gambling and sportsbook operations.

As far as additional license fees go, neither Oaklawn or Southland were required to pay any sort of extra fees in order to offer sports betting in their casinos.

Proposed Revenue-Sharing Rule

The biggest issue in regards to legalizing mobile sports betting in Arkansas is the government’s 51% revenue-sharing rule. FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM have all expressed concerns with the plan, citing multiple reasons as to why it simply cannot work on their end. All three sportsbooks sent a letter to the Arkansas Racing Commission, requesting that the policy gets removed. They were denied.

Their main argument is that the 51% rate would heavily cut into customer promotions and offers, thus deterring users from betting with legal operations.

A representative from BetMGM even went on to state that this cap would make it “impossible” for sports betting providers to enter the market properly and serve the state’s residents.

Betting on College Sports in Arkansas

There are currently zero restrictions on which teams Arkansas bettors can wager on. Whether it is the Razorbacks in an SEC football game or Little Rock going dancing in March, all of your local favorites will be listed on Arkansas’ sportsbooks – professional and college teams alike.

Arkansas Online Sportsbooks

Controversially, Arkansas elected to mandate that 51% of revenue be awarded to the retail casino that serves as a licensing partner with the online brand, if applicable. This means that there are unlikely to be droves of outside, independent operators flooding into the state. With only four licenses available, that was unlikely to happen anyway.

Sites like BetSaracen, associated with the Saracen Casino, are more likely to dominate the market, meaning Arkansas may look a little different than other states with regulated online sports betting. So far, the more established betting brands and sportsbook apps have not pursued licenses in Arkansas.

Betly Sportsbook

Betly Sportsbook is currently open for business and taking bets in the state of Arkansas. Betly Sportsbook operates out of Southland Casino & Racing. On Sunday, March 6, 2022 Betly online sportsbook launched the online browser version of its sportsbook in Arkansas — Just in time for March Madness. The iOS app came a month later in April 2022.

BetSaracen

BetSaracen was originally expected to be the first online sportsbook in Arkansas, but unexplained delays led Betly to beat them to market. No matter, because BetSaracen is a solid product that will appeal to bettors across the state. Rather than partnering with an existing online operator, Saracen Casino Resort decided to create its own sportsbook in a partnership with Amelco-UK, a global sports betting technology company.

Oaklawn Sports

Oaklawn Sports was the third and possibly final sports betting app to launch in Arkansas. Oaklawn partnered with Kambi to power their white label sportsbook app instead of going with a larger brand.

Land-Based Sportsbook Operations

There are just three brick-and-mortar locations currently offering retail sports betting in Arkansas. Only one of the locations opted to host an outside sportsbook brand, while the other two went with their own in-house sportsbook:

Retail SportsbookCasino PartnerLaunch Date
Oaklawn SportsbookOaklawn Racing Casino ResortJuly 2019
Betly SportsbookSouthland Casino & RacingSeptember 2020
Saracen SportsbookSaracen Casino ResortOctober 2020

Oaklawn Sportsbook

Oaklawn Sportsbook was the first of the three land-based operations to launch, accepting the first legal sports wager in the state of Arkansas on July 1, 2019. Powered by industry-leading tech provider SBTech, Oaklawn Sportsbook has done a phenomenal job of paving the way for other sportsbooks in the state.

Betly Sportsbook

After originally launching its sportsbook in January 2020, Southland Casino was forced to put its operations on hold for nine months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened for business in September 2020, now using the Betly Sportsbook brand powered by IGT’s tech. Southland has reportedly been working on a $250 million expansion, which will include a brand new 20-story hotel.

Saracen Sportsbook

Saracen Sportsbook was the third and currently final land-based operation to set up shop and open for business in Arkansas. The brand new Saracen Casino Annex debuted in October 2020, loaded with betting kiosks and windows alike, powered by state-of-the-art technology provided by IGT. The retail location is a very nice complement to the BetSaracen app.

Banking with Arkansas Mobile Sportsbooks

Betly and BetSaracen offer most of the following options for deposits and withdrawals:

Credit/Debit Card

As one of the more classic deposit options, most users will attempt to upload funds using a credit or debit card. The biggest issue here is that some banks will automatically decline charges to sportsbooks and casinos, per their policies. Due to this and the fact that withdrawals aren’t offered through credit/debit cards, players may need to have a second deposit option handy.

ACH/e-check

ACH/e-check works exactly the same way that writing out a paper check would. Simply log into your online bank account, choose your desired amount, and funds will appear instantly in your sports betting account. Funds will be removed from your bank within 24-48 hours, just like they would once a physical check is cashed. Once you deposit at least once, all information will be saved on your app, and all it will take is the click of a button next time you want to deposit. ACH/e-check also works in reverse with withdrawals, making it one of the premier banking methods in the industry.

PayPal

As one of the largest e-wallet leaders in the world, PayPal is a fantastic banking method. Players can use PayPal to send funds to and from their sports betting accounts, typically within minutes. PayPal also acts as a central hub for all of your other banking methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, or even online bank accounts – making it easily the best choice available, in our opinion.

Play+ Prepaid Card

As mentioned above, players will often be declined by their bank when trying to deposit funds to an online sportsbook or casino. Because of this, Play+ prepaid cards come up extremely clutch. Essentially a middleman between your debit card and the sportsbook, Play+ will charge your card and then transfer the funds into your sportsbook account. Furthermore, all players who activate a Play+ prepaid card online will also receive a physical copy of the card in the mail that can be used to make cash withdrawals at any ATM.

Online banking transfer

Similar to ACH/e-check, online banking transfers allow users to send funds directly from their bank account. Unlike ACH, however, online banking transfers require the user to sign into their bank account every time they want to make a new deposit. There is also no way to withdraw funds using this method. It is not the most convenient option, but it is reliable.

PayNearMe

It is very likely that most Arkansas sportsbooks will allow users to deposit cash into their accounts using PayNearMe’s services. Available at most 7-Eleven, Family Dollar, or CVS locations (among many others), players can simply scan their barcode, pay in cash, and begin placing mobile wagers instantly! You can’t withdraw funds using PayNearMe, so a second banking method will be necessary to extract any winnings.

Wire transfer

Wire transfers are a bit more complicated, as they require the player to arrange some details between their bank and the sportsbook of their choosing. Wires are typically used by high-stakes bettors who cannot upload funds due to deposit limits, so it’s unlikely that casual bettors will cross paths with this method at any point.

Cash at the counter

Bettors can easily use cash to fund their accounts or make withdrawals by heading to the Southland or Saracen casino sportsbooks.

History of Sports Betting in Arkansas

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was officially struck down by the Supreme Court in May 2018, thus paving the way for individual U.S. states to begin legalizing sports betting. Arkansas did not wait very long to jump on board, passing state-licensed sports betting shortly after the PASPA decision in November 2018. The safety, legality, and availability of sports bets in Arkansas are ensured through licensed online sportsbooks and retail sports betting, with regulations covering age restrictions, tax revenue, and betting on Arkansas-based teams.

From that point on, it would take nearly one full year after passing this law for regulated sports betting to actually begin in the state. On July 1, 2019, the first-ever state-regulated legal sports wager in Arkansas was placed at Oaklawn Casino Racing Resort. The wager was placed by Oaklawn general manager Wayne Smith, risking $5 on the Dallas Cowboys to cover the spread against the New York Giants.

Arkansas Sports Betting FAQ

Can you bet on sports online in Arkansas?

Yes! Betting is legal in Arkansas, and retail options include two racinos and one Arkansas casino. Three mobile sportsbooks are also accessible in the state, and more sportsbook apps (potentially) are coming soon!

Is DraftKings available in Arkansas?

Unfortunately, DraftKings isn’t one of the three online sportsbooks available in the state. However, Arkansas bettors can start betting on their favorite games at these legal sportsbooks: Betly, Bet Saracan and Oaklawn Sportsbook. Or, if you prefer live betting and retail sportsbooks, you can use Caesars Sportsbook through its licensed retail location, Horseshoe Tunica, at Tunica Resorts.

If I live in Arkansas, can I bet on college teams?

Provided that you meet the legal sports betting age of 21, you can bet on college teams (like the Arkansas Razorbacks) without player prop or outcome restrictions.

What online sportsbooks does Arkansas have?

Betly, Bet Saracan, and Oaklawn Sportsbook are the online sportsbook options currently legal in Arkansas. Certain social sportsbooks that are allowed in the state offer daily fantasy sports (DFS) options, covering a variety of events, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and PGA.

How old do you have to be to place bets in Arkansas?

To place bets in Arkansas casinos or utilize an Arkansas sportsbook offer, a resident needs to be +21 years of age to make a wager that is legal in Arkansas

About the Author

msciangula
Michael Sciangula (msciangula)

Michael Sciangula is an Organic Strategy Lead for Better Collective. As a Rutgers graduate, Michael is passionate about college sports betting providing analytical-based analysis on risk management. His other focus is staying current on sports betting promos and review-based content.