Online Sportsbooks in
Arkansas

The Natural State was one of the first to legalize sports betting in July 2019. However since then only one sportsbook has set up shop in the state, with no online betting availble.

Arkansas seal

Limited Online Sports Betting Legal in Arkansas

Arkansas online sports betting

The state voted to legalize sports betting at the end of the 2018 and officially marked the beginning of sports betting on 1st July 2019.

The referendum campaign that had persuaded 54% of voters to opt in favor of sports betting promised that the gambling industry would provide extra revenue for the state with the slogan 'driving Arkansas forward'.

However, since then the state of sports betting in the state has been somewhat of an anti-climax with only one casino offering sports betting and online wagering still not permitted.

With a 13% tax rate and a comparably low licensing fee, the Natural State should be an attractive investment for US-based sportsbooks. We expect that once one of the 'big-two' of DraftKings and FanDuel show and interest in the Natural State then things will begin to change.

BETTING IN AR - WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO

Bet on sports in-person ✅

Bet on sports online ❌

Register with a sportsbook online ❌

Deposit & withdraw funds with a sportsbook online ❌

Bet on collegiate teams or collegiate games ❌

Bet on high/school sports ❌

FAQs Arkansas online betting

Here are your most commonly asked questions regarding online sports betting in Arkansas.

Can you bet on sports in Arkansas?

Yes. It is legal to bet on sports in Arkansas.

However, currently there is only one sportsbook that is licensed and operational in the state. That sportsbook is located at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

You cannot currently bet online in the state of Arkansas.

Is online gambling legal in Arkansas?

No, although sports betting has been legalized in the state, online wagering has not.

Is there a legal sportsbook in Arkansas?

There is currently only one legal and operational sportsbook in the state located at the Oaklawn Racing Casino in Hot Springs.

You cannot bet on sports online in Arkansas.

When will there be an online sportsbook in Arkansas?

We expect that the state will allow online and mobile wagering in early 2021.

Online Sports Betting in Arkansas

As it stands there is no online sports betting in the state of Arkansas. Instead Arkansans only have one option and that is to wager in-person at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs.

As it stands, you can only bet in-person at one location in Hot Springs.

There are three more licensed casinos in the state, so we expect that eventually they will also launch sportsbooks.

However, what we really want is online sports betting! It is uncertain when the state will legalize online wagering, but we suspect once a major US-based sportsbook demonstrates and interest in the state, the law will quickly change to accomodate them.

In the rest of the country, the trailblazers are FanDuel and DraftKings. The duo are almost always the first sportsbooks to launch in a state, so we expect this will be the case in Arkansas as well.

The state only requires a gambling tax of 13% pre $150 million with 20% thereafter. This is not the lowest sports tax rate, but it is certainly not the highest, with states like Pennsylvania taxing sportsbooks 36% of their revenue.

Sports betting in Arkansas: The legal situation in short
  • In November 2018, Arkansans voted to legalize sports betting. 54% voted in favor.
  • July 2019, the first sports betting wager was placed at the Oaklawn Racing Casino resort in Hot Springs.
  • Since then no indication has been given as to wether the state will legalize online sports betting.

Sports Teams in Arkansas

Football and Baseball are the most popular sports for Arkansans to wager on.

With no team in the NFL, many Arkansans have opted to support the Dallas Cowboys; which remains the most popular team to bet on in the Natural State.

There is also a large amount of local support for the University of Arkansas teams - the Razorbacks. In total they have 19 teams that compete in the NVAA Division 1 of the southeastern conference.

Baseball is extremely popular in the state of Arkansas, with two popular Minor League Baseball teams the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Arkansas Travelers both of which compete in the Texas League.

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