Arkansas

Retail sports betting in Arkansas has been legal since 2018, and a few years later, in 2022, the state also allowed mobile betting. Residents can enjoy retail betting at three locations, with a fourth expected to be added, and each of these locations also has a mobile app available.

Whether it’s betting on their favorite sports team or their beloved Razorbacks, residents in Arkansas have no restrictions on what they can wager on. Many states have restrictions on betting on in-state colleges or even betting on college player props, but Arkansas allows both of those markets to be offered. The two biggest markets that are not allowed to be offered in AR are political markets and eSports.

The possibilities are also endless when it comes to betting on horse racing and greyhound racing. Not only does the state have multiple racetracks where wagers can be placed, but it also offers residents mobile racebooks they can download.

Daily Fantasy Sports apps are also available in the state, so AR residents truly have full reign over sports betting in the U.S.

Online sports betting in The Natural State

You won’t find big-name sportsbooks like DraftKings or FanDuel in Arkansas; instead, you will find mobile betting apps that are connected to the state's three retail betting locations. These sportsbooks include Betly, Bet Saracen, and Oaklawn Sports, which can be downloaded on both IOS and Android devices and used all throughout the state.

They may not be well-known apps outside of Arkansas, but they allow bettors to gamble from their homes, which was not possible prior to 2022. Up until that point, bettors needed to be on location at one of these three retail casinos, but a rule change in 2021 made sports betting more accessible for bettors while also helping these retail locations keep turning a profit.

State legislation allows for up to eight online sportsbooks to be live in the state at one time, but for the time being, there are only plans for one more mobile book to join the market. That sportsbook will be tied directly to the new Legends Resort and Casino that is being built, but the timetable for launch is still yet to be determined.

Even when this new sportsbook launches, the state will still have four licenses available, which means AR bettors should not lose hope that a brand-name sportsbook operator will eventually operate in their state. However, one of the biggest things that is keeping brand name operators out of the state is the revenue-sharing rule that was approved in 2022. This rule allows licensees to retain 51% of all sports betting revenue in a market-access agreement with an online operator.

All legal AR sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):

Sports betting & gambling legislation in AR

Back in 2018, Arkansas voters approved Arkansas Issue 4, which allowed the introduction of sports betting. At the time, the state only had two functional casinos, but an expansion plan was also included in the initiative, so two more casinos/sportsbooks were set to be introduced. It is important to note that this issue only pertained to in-person sports betting, as mobile betting was still not allowed after this was passed.

It wasn’t until 2021 that the Arkansas Racing Commission discussed the possibility of mobile betting and started developing rules and regulations for the topic. Those rules eventually received approval, and in April 2022, the Betly Sportsbook became the first legal mobile betting app in the state.

All gambling income also has a 3% state tax. While the set rate is 3%, each bettor may be subject to a different tax rate since it is based on their yearly income. Like all states with regulated gambling, Arkansas requires bettors to follow the rules. For example, customers must be at least 21 years of age to wager either in person or online. These rules for bettors, along with the rules and regulations for operators, are all enforced by the aforementioned Arkansas Racing Commission.

One of the other rules that the State Racing Commission enforces is remote registration, which allows them to create a betting account on a sportsbook without being present in that location.

Most recent updates from the AR sports betting scene

• May 1, 2024: It is projected that Arkansas will make over $500 million in sports betting revenue in 2024. This stems from Scott Hardin, who is a spokesperson for the state Racing Commission, saying that residents are wagering $1.55 million per day on licensed mobile betting apps.

• February 15, 2024: The state of Arkansas has issued cease and desist letters to Underdog Fantasy and Prizepicks, claiming the sites are not just offering fantasy sports but illegal unlicensed sports betting as well.

• January 4, 2024: Arkansas's gaming revenue for December of 2023 was 7.5% higher than its figures for that same month in 2022.

• October 27, 2023: The Arkansas Supreme Court upholds a circuit judge's ruling that declared the casino license issued to Legends and Cherokee Nation businesses unconstitutional. This decision confirms that the license violated Amendment 100 of the Arkansas Constitution.

• October 24, 2023: Arkansas-based BroThrow, a peer-to-peer social betting exchange, suggests that ESPN Bet copied its logo. BroThrow's CEO, Brady Sharp, believes it was likely unintentional and mentioned that while they haven't trademarked the logo, they have protected the BroThrow brand.

• September 22, 2023: Arkansas bettors now have 35 new sports they can legally bet on. The state’s racing commission approved 16 sports just a few months after approving 17 new sports in the state.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

When the Legends Resort & Casino opens, Arkansas will have four retail locations. Two of the retail locations currently in operation have been around for decades, starting off with strictly horse racing and then expanding into what they are today, thanks to the passing of Issue 4.

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort was the first location in the state to accept a sports betting wager.

Sports betting in neighboring states

If Arkansas bettors wanted to venture into local states to see what they have to offer in terms of sports betting, they would find states with primarily retail betting only outside of Tennessee, which offers mobile betting as well.

Click on the state name below to find more information about the surrounding states and what they truly have to offer.

Sports betting revenue impact on Arkansas’ economy

For only having three retail locations and mobile betting apps, Arkansas is approaching the $1 billion mark for all-time handle. This is quite an impressive number when you consider the fact that Arkansas has no big-name operators in the state and offers far fewer mobile apps than their neighboring states.

There are currently only three retail locations licensed in the state, with one more expected to be added once the building is completed. The fee for a license in the state is currently unavailable. Once that last retail facility is built, the state will likely see even more significant monthly numbers for handle, revenue, and tax income. These retail facilities are subject to a 13% tax rate on $150 million in revenue or less and 20% on all revenue above $150 million.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at their most recent monthly handle, revenue, and tax income numbers to get a better idea of how they’ve progressed over the years and to give a better idea of the spike in monthly numbers once the last retail facility is up and running.

Top 3 sportsbooks in the state in January 2024:

1. BetSaracen (Handle: $27.6m, Revenue: $2.8m)

2. Betly (Handle: $14.5m, Revenue: $1.9m)

3. Oaklawn Racing (Handle: $8.5m, Revenue: $1.1m)

Arkansas sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: November 2023 ($54,770,449)

• Revenue: January 2024 ($5,855,921)

• Tax income: January 2024 ($894,654)

AR sports betting revenue in 2024