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Like buying a lottery ticket or purchasing alcohol, gambling is another age-based rite of passage in Arkansas. Anyone 21 and older can gamble, and that includes betting on sports.
Here are the basics on sports betting in Arkansas.
When and how did sports betting become legal in Arkansas? In November 2018, a ballot initiative was passed by Arkansas voters that made casino gaming legal in the state. The initiative became Amendment 100 to the state constitution.
Scott Hardin, spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration, said although some Arkansans may not have realized it, the initiative contained clearance for the newly established casinos to run sports betting operations.
(Horse-race betting at Oaklawn is not part of Amendment 100 and has been legal for years. It is regulated separately, and the minimum age is 18.)
Sports betting makes up a relatively small portion of casino revenue, Hardin said. Arkansans have placed $31 million in sports wagers since July 2019, he said (of which $27.84 million has been paid back to gamblers). By comparison, more than a billion dollars have been wagered in slot machines during the same time period.
Where can I place bets? Bets can be made at any casino in the state.
After Amendment 100 was created, two existing establishments, Oaklawn in Hot Springs and Southland in West Memphis, were turned into full-fledged casinos.
The state also decided two additional casino licenses would be issued. One went to the Quapaw Nation, which built Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. It opened in October 2020.
The final license will allow for a casino to be built in Pope County. The Arkansas Racing Commission, which oversees casinos in the state, voted to award the license to Gulfside Casino Partnership, a Mississippi company, but Hardin said construction has not started in anticipation of legal challenges.
Are there any regulations on sports betting? Amendment 100 does not have many stipulations built in, but the Racing Commission has set some rules.
Each casino was required to submit a plan to the Racing Commission outlining how it would administer sports betting. Hardin said all casinos so far have opted to have the lines for bets set by a third party. The casinos use different third parties, though, and may offer different lines or odds on the same game.
The commission decided casinos can only offer betting on collegiate and professional sports, and Arkansas elections are explicitly off limits.
Hardin said commissioners also decided bets must be made in-person on the grounds of the casinos. Online or remote sports betting is not allowed, though he said it is expected that the commission may revisit and possibly change that rule in the future.
Can I place bets online? There are no legal Arkansas-run online sports betting operations because the Racing Commission has ruled bets must be made in-person on the grounds of the casinos.
As for Arkansans placing bets on sportsbook websites based in other states, Hardin said that would fall under federal law and the Department of Finance and Administration is not aware of statutes that would make it illegal for an Arkansan to place a bet on a website legally run in another state.
Betting on horse races has its own rules and regulations, because horse racing is not a part of Amendment 100. Hardin said it is legal for Arkansans to bet on those races remotely and Oaklawn has an app to allow gamblers to do so.