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Is sports betting legal in Arkansas?
Yes. Arkansas voters approved Issue 4 on November 6, 2018, becoming Amendment 100 to the state constitution.
- The Arkansas Casino Gaming Amendment specifically authorized casino gaming and sports betting at up to four named locations: Southland Casino in West Memphis, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, and a fourth site that would eventually become Legends Resort and Casino.
- Oaklawn general manager Wayne Smith placed Arkansas's first legal sports wager on July 1, 2019 - a $5 bet on the Dallas Cowboys to cover the spread against the New York Giants.
Online betting took nearly three more years to arrive.
- When the Arkansas Racing Commission approved mobile sports betting rules in late 2021 and early 2022, they required casinos to receive at least 51% of revenue from any online sports betting partnership - dramatically higher than the 5-15% cut casinos typically negotiate with sportsbook operators elsewhere.
- DraftKings and FanDuel balked at those terms, and Arkansas's mobile market launched in March 2022 with Betly, BetSaracen, and Oaklawn Sports.
That standoff finally broke in 2026. On February 26, 2026, the Arkansas Racing Commission unanimously approved DraftKings and FanDuel for sports wagering vendor licenses.
- DraftKings partnered with Oaklawn and FanDuel with Southland after both companies reached agreements satisfying the state's 51% revenue-share requirement.
- Both brands launched statewide on March 20, 2026.
- Sports betting in Arkansas is regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission, and you must be at least 21 years old and physically located within Arkansas to place a bet.
Arkansas rules at a glance
- ✓21+ minimum ageThe supplied page states the same 21+ threshold for online and retail sports betting.
- ✓Location requiredMobile wagers require physical presence inside Arkansas.
- ✓Casino partnershipsLicensed casino properties anchor the state's online sportsbook framework.
- ✓51% casino revenue shareCasinos must receive at least 51% of mobile betting partnership revenue.
| Date | Milestone | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2018 | Amendment 100 approved | Voters authorized casino gaming and sports betting at up to four named locations. |
| July 2019 | Retail betting launches | Oaklawn hosted Arkansas's first legal sports wager. |
| March 2022 | Online betting launches | Betly, BetSaracen and Oaklawn Sports carried the initial mobile market. |
| March 2026 | DraftKings and FanDuel launch | The two national operators entered after agreements satisfying the 51% revenue-share rule. |
Best Arkansas sportsbook apps
Arkansas's operator field looks different from most states covered on this site, blending newly arrived national giants with the homegrown operators that carried the market through its first four years. Each licensed casino can support up to two online skins, creating a theoretical ceiling of eight sportsbooks statewide - five are currently active.
| Sportsbook | Type | Casino partner / platform | Related guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | National operator | Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort | Full review |
| FanDuel | National operator | Southland Casino Hotel | Full review |
| BetSaracen | Arkansas operator | Saracen Casino Resort | Retail context |
| Betly | Arkansas launch operator | Southland | Market history |
| Oaklawn Sports | White-label product | Kambi-powered Oaklawn product | Signup guide |
See the full rankings and our six-category scoring methodology on the sportsbook reviews page. Before choosing among Arkansas's active apps, our guide to claiming a sportsbook bonus explains how offer terms and bonus bets work.
Which sports can you bet on in Arkansas?
Arkansas sportsbooks cover the major U.S. professional leagues - NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, and WNBA - alongside international soccer, tennis, golf, MMA, boxing, and motorsports.
- Arkansas has no major professional sports franchise of its own, so the state's Razorback fan base drives much of the in-state betting culture around college football and basketball.
- Notably, Arkansas does not permit esports betting, though the supplied page says political event betting is available indirectly through daily fantasy sports contests rather than standard sportsbook markets.
Arkansas permits betting on college sports, including in-state programs like the Arkansas Razorbacks, without the blanket in-state team restrictions several neighboring states apply. Standard restrictions around youth and high school sports remain in place. The supplied page also notes that Arkansas does not permit esports betting.
| Category | Status | Notes from the supplied page |
|---|---|---|
| Major professional sports | Available | NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA and other major markets are covered. |
| In-state college teams | Available | Arkansas permits betting on programs such as the Razorbacks. |
| Youth / high school sports | Not allowed | Standard youth and high school restrictions apply. |
| Esports | Not allowed | The supplied page states esports betting is not permitted. |
Bet types & live betting in Arkansas
Every licensed Arkansas sportsbook offers moneylines, point spreads, and totals across major sports, same-game and cross-game parlays, team and player props, futures markets, and live in-play betting with continuously updating odds. Our guide to every type of sports bet covers the win condition for each format, and understanding odds and lines explains how to read the prices themselves.
With DraftKings and FanDuel now active alongside Arkansas's original homegrown books, line shopping has become more worthwhile than it was during the market's first four years.
- Our line shopping guide explains how comparing prices across multiple books can improve long-run value.
- See our parlays explained guide and live and in-play betting guide for the mechanics behind those formats.
Retail sportsbooks in Arkansas
Arkansas's retail sportsbook network covers its three currently operating casino properties: Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis, and Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Amendment 100's fourth authorized location, Legends Resort and Casino, has faced a longer development timeline, so its retail sportsbook status remains worth checking directly.
You do not need to visit a retail casino in person to open a mobile betting account in Arkansas - online sign-up is fully remote, with identity and location verified electronically. Retail sportsbooks remain a draw, particularly at Oaklawn because it hosted Arkansas's first legal sports wager in 2019.
| Property | City | Sports betting context |
|---|---|---|
| Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort | Hot Springs | Site of the state's first legal sports wager; DraftKings partner in 2026. |
| Southland Casino Hotel | West Memphis | Retail casino property and FanDuel partner in 2026. |
| Saracen Casino Resort | Pine Bluff | Home of BetSaracen. |
| Legends Resort and Casino | Fourth authorized site | Longer development timeline; current retail sportsbook status should be checked directly. |
Why Arkansas still has no online casino
Arkansas has no regulated online casino product. A bill to legalize real-money online casino gaming was introduced in the 2025 legislative session but failed to advance out of its initial committee hearing on April 1, 2025, underscoring how limited the legislative momentum for iGaming remains in the state.
Given how recently Arkansas resolved its sports betting operator standoff, and given the political friction the 51% revenue-share rule created even within sports betting, online casino legalization looks like a more distant prospect than in states where iGaming bills have reached serious floor debate.
Online casino status: not legal
- The supplied page says a 2025 online casino bill stalled in committee.
- Arkansas sports betting has continued to expand despite that separate iGaming roadblock.
- For regulated online casino markets, compare our New Jersey guide and Michigan guide.
How Arkansas compares to other states
Arkansas's tiered tax structure - 13% on the first $150 million in annual revenue, rising to 20% beyond that threshold - sits in the moderate range nationally, broadly comparable to Kentucky's 14.25% though structured differently.
- What sets Arkansas apart is the 51% casino revenue-share requirement baked into the state's online betting rules.
- Most states let casinos and sportsbook operators negotiate revenue splits privately, typically landing somewhere in the 5-15% range for the casino's cut.
Arkansas's $639.5 million total handle in 2025 reflects a market that spent most of its existence without DraftKings and FanDuel. The supplied page describes 2026 as a useful natural experiment in how much adding the two largest sportsbook operators changes a market that grew for nearly four years without them.
Arkansas's standoff also offers a comparison with Missouri's constitutional-amendment origin story. Both states built their betting frameworks around a small number of named casino properties through voter-approved amendments, and both have had to work through structural friction as a result. See our Missouri guide for that market's licensing story.
| Market | Operator tax / structure | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 13% first $150M; 20% thereafter | 51% minimum casino share on mobile partnership revenue. |
| Kentucky | 14.25% cited in the supplied page | Comparable headline tax range, but without Arkansas's 51% revenue-share floor. |
| Missouri | Constitutional-amendment framework | Source compares the states because both built frameworks around named casino properties. |
How to sign up
Creating an Arkansas sportsbook account takes about five minutes and can be completed entirely online.
- You'll need your full legal name, date of birth, current address, email, phone number, and the last four digits of your Social Security number for identity verification.
- The app will request location access at sign-up and periodically afterward because Arkansas sportsbooks use GPS-based geolocation to confirm you're physically within state lines for every bet.
Common funding methods include debit card, PayPal, ACH bank transfer, and cash deposits at a partner casino cage. Before your first deposit, our bankroll management guide is worth reading, and our how to read a betting slip guide explains what to check before confirming a wager.
From account to first wager
- 1Create your accountEnter your legal name and current contact details.
- 2Complete identity checksProvide the verification information requested by the operator.
- 3Enable location servicesYou must be physically inside Arkansas when placing a mobile wager.
- 4Choose a funding methodDebit card, PayPal and ACH are among the common methods listed in the source.
- 5Review the bet slipCheck the selection, odds and stake before confirming.
Taxes on winnings
Sports betting winnings are taxable income at both the federal and Arkansas state level, with Arkansas applying an additional 3% state tax specifically on gambling income on top of standard federal obligations.
- Operators are generally required to issue a Form W-2G when a single payout is $600 or more and at least 300 times the amount wagered.
- This page is not tax advice, so consult a tax professional about your own filing situation.
On the operator side - not something bettors pay directly, but a figure that shapes the market you're betting in - Arkansas taxes sports betting revenue at 13% on the first $150 million generated annually, stepping up to 20% on revenue beyond that threshold. See our sportsbook promotions economics article for more on how tax structure and revenue-sharing rules shape the promotional environment bettors see.
| Item | Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas gambling income tax | 3% | The source states Arkansas applies this state tax to gambling income on top of federal obligations. |
| W-2G reporting detail | $600+ and 300x the wager | The source describes this as a common federal reporting threshold for a single payout. |
| Operator revenue tax | 13% / 20% | 13% on the first $150 million annually, then 20% beyond that threshold. |
Responsible gambling resources
The Arkansas Racing Commission oversees responsible gambling requirements across all licensed sportsbooks.
- Every licensed operator is required to offer deposit limits, session time alerts, and cooling-off periods, and Arkansas maintains a statewide self-exclusion program.
- The supplied page also warns that offshore, unlicensed sportsbooks target Arkansas bettors and do not provide state consumer protections.
1-800-GAMBLER is free, confidential, and available 24/7 for anyone in Arkansas concerned about their own gambling or someone else's. See our responsible gambling guide for a practical walkthrough of the limit tools available inside most sportsbook apps.
FAQ
A few additional questions come up often from bettors navigating Arkansas's newly expanded operator field and unusual revenue-share rule.
When did sports betting become legal in Arkansas?
Voters approved Amendment 100 in November 2018. Retail betting launched July 1, 2019, and online betting followed in March 2022.
Why weren't DraftKings and FanDuel available in Arkansas until 2026?
Arkansas's online betting rules require casinos to receive at least 51% of mobile revenue, far above the typical 5-15% cut elsewhere. DraftKings and FanDuel declined those terms until reaching agreements approved by the Arkansas Racing Commission in February 2026.
Can I bet on the Arkansas Razorbacks?
Yes. Arkansas permits betting on in-state college teams without a blanket restriction, though standard youth and high school sports betting bans apply.
Does Arkansas have a legal online casino?
No. A 2025 bill to legalize online casino gaming failed to advance out of its initial committee hearing.
What is the minimum age to bet on sports in Arkansas?
21. This applies to both online and retail sports betting throughout the state.