Arkansas

Last verified September 27, 2026

By the Legal Sportsbooks US editorial team

Arkansas

Online and retail

Legal since

July 1, 2019 (retail); 2022 (online)

Minimum age

Regulator

Arkansas Racing Commission (Department of Finance and Administration)

Licensed apps

3 online sportsbooks

State law

Ark. Const. amend. 100 (Arkansas Casino Gaming Amendment of 2018)

Is sports betting legal in Arkansas?

Yes. Voters approved the casino amendment that became Amendment 100 to the Arkansas Constitution on November 6, 2018, and Oaklawn took the first legal sports bet on July 1, 2019. Statewide mobile betting followed in 2022. Every sportsbook, in person or online, runs through one of the state's three licensed casinos, and you must be 21.

Where you can bet

Retail sportsbooks operate at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis and Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, the three active casino licensees the Arkansas Racing Commission lists. Three apps take bets statewide. BetSaracen is run by Saracen itself, FanDuel operates on Oaklawn's license and DraftKings on Southland's. FanDuel and DraftKings went live on March 20, 2026, after the Commission approved their vendor licenses that February. Southland's in-house Betly app shut down the same day, and FanDuel replaced the Oaklawn Sports app.

The Commission's rules let each casino offer up to two online brands. A casino must run an in-person sports pool before it can run an online one, and an online sports pool is prohibited if a majority of its net receipts goes to a third-party vendor. Net casino gaming receipts, sports included, are taxed at 13% on the first $150 million and 20% above that.

College betting is permitted, and that includes Razorbacks games. Books can't accept a college wager they know is placed by a coach or participant in that event, and bets on elections for public office are banned.

How Arkansas legalized sports betting

Gambling law before 2018

Arkansas Code 5-66-101 still bans gambling in general. Parimutuel betting on horse and greyhound racing in Garland and Crittenden counties dates to the 1930s, and voters protected Garland County's racing in the constitution in 1956 (Amendment 46). Amendments 84 and 87 later authorized bingo, raffles and the state scholarship lottery, and Act 1151 of 2005 authorized electronic games of skill. Two casino amendments aimed at the 2012 ballot failed when the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against their sponsors on September 20 and October 4, 2012.

Amendment 100 and the first bets (2018 to 2019)

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state-authorized sports betting in Murphy v. NCAA on May 14, 2018. That November, Issue 4 asked voters to require four casino licenses: automatic ones for the Southland and Oaklawn racing franchises, plus one applicant each in Jefferson and Pope counties. It defined casino gaming to include accepting wagers on sporting events and let licensees take them "if and when not prohibited by federal law." Issue 4 passed 470,954 to 399,530 (54.1%), and it took effect November 14, 2018. Pope County voted against it by about 60% to 40%.

Oaklawn accepted the first wager on July 1, 2019. The Quapaw tribe's development authority was the only applicant for the Jefferson County license; it received the license and later transferred it to Saracen Development, LLC. A 2019 bill by Sen. Will Bond to allow electronic wagering on athletic events, SB 669, died within a month of its April introduction.

Mobile wagering (2021 to 2026)

On December 30, 2021 the Commission adopted online sports wagering rules that let each casino partner with up to two online operators. Lobbyists for FanDuel and other national brands argued against the requirement that the Arkansas casino keep most of the revenue, and the Commission adopted it without discussion. The rules received final legislative approval on February 22, 2022. The casinos' own apps went live that spring, though published launch dates range from March to May 2022. In June 2023 the Commission more than doubled the list of sports books could offer. National brands didn't enter until the February 2026 approvals, and Arkansas handle topped $100 million in a month for the first time in April 2026, according to Legal Sports Report.

The Pope County license and Amendment 104

Five groups applied for the Pope County license in May 2019, including Gulfside Casino Partnership, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB), and the Commission rejected all five in June 2019 for lacking local support. Act 371 of 2019 and a Commission rule required letters of support from officials in office when the application was filed. Gulfside's letter came from County Judge Jim Ed Gibson, who left office December 31, 2018. His successor, Ben Cross, backed CNB after it signed an economic development agreement committing more than $40 million in fees and grants and at least $225 million in construction.

After years of litigation (below), Local Voters in Charge put Issue 2 on the 2024 ballot. It cut the number of licenses from four to three, revoked any Pope County license and required a countywide vote on any future casino that a later amendment authorizes outside the three existing casino counties. Cherokee Nation Entertainment applied for the Pope County license in May 2024 and received it in June. Issue 2 passed November 5, 2024 by 638,655 to 505,772 (55.8%), while Pope County voted 56% against it, and it became Amendment 104. The federal court found that the Choctaw spent about $17.7 million for Issue 2 and the Cherokee about $15.7 million against it.

Sports betting court cases in Arkansas

Knight v. Martin and Stiritz v. Martin (2018)

Two groups asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to keep Issue 4 off the ballot. Jim Knight of Pope County, for Citizens for Local Choice (No. CV-18-745), argued among other things that the popular name hid the fact that the measure covered sports wagering. On October 11, 2018 the court denied his petition, finding the ballot title disclosed the sports wagering change. It rejected the Ensuring Arkansas' Future challenge (Stiritz v. Martin, No. CV-18-731) the same day.

Citizens for a Better Pope County v. Cross (2020)

Pope County voters had passed Ordinance 2018-O-42 in November 2018, requiring a local election before county officials could support a casino applicant. The quorum court endorsed CNB on August 13, 2019, and the Pope County Circuit Court held the ordinance conflicted with Amendment 100. The quorum court repealed it on October 28, 2019, and the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal as moot on September 17, 2020 (No. CV-20-145, 2020 Ark. 279).

Cherokee Nation Businesses v. Gulfside Casino Partnership (2021 to 2023)

Gulfside sued after its application was denied, and the Pulaski County Circuit Court sent its application back to the Commission, which awarded Gulfside the license on June 18, 2020. On February 4, 2021 the Supreme Court held that CNB could intervene (No. CV-20-211, 2021 Ark. 17). On October 21, 2021 it held that "the county judge" in Amendment 100 means the judge in office when the application is filed, upholding the rule and Act 371 (No. CV-21-289, 2021 Ark. 183). The Commission then voided Gulfside's license and awarded it jointly to CNB and its subsidiary Legends Resort and Casino.

Gulfside and the Choctaw challenged that award. Judge Tim Fox of the Pulaski County Circuit Court declared the joint license void on January 12, 2023, and the Supreme Court affirmed on October 26, 2023 (No. CV-23-50, 2023 Ark. 153). It held that CNB had no pending application when the license issued and that Amendment 100 allows one license to one applicant. Justices Karen Baker and Shawn Womack dissented, arguing sovereign immunity barred the suit.

McGill v. Thurston (2024)

Cherokee Nation Entertainment and CNB employee Jennifer McGill sued to remove Issue 2 from the ballot. The Secretary of State had certified at least 116,200 signatures against the 90,704 required. On October 14, 2024 the Supreme Court rejected the signature challenge after a special master's review (2024 Ark. 146), and on October 17 it upheld the popular name and ballot title (2024 Ark. 149).

Cherokee Nation Businesses v. Arkansas (2024 to present)

The Cherokee entities and McGill sued the state and Commission members in the Eastern District of Arkansas on November 8, 2024 (No. 4:24-cv-00969). Judge D. P. Marshall Jr. denied a temporary restraining order, and Amendment 104 took effect the next day. On March 18, 2025 he dismissed the due process, equal protection and public-use takings claims, and he held a three-day bench trial starting March 25.

On August 28, 2025 he ruled for the state. The Contract Clause claim failed because the Cherokee contracts were affected but not impaired, and the bill of attainder claim failed because Amendment 104 did not single out Cherokee Nation Entertainment; the attorney general certified the ballot title before it applied. Those claims were dismissed with prejudice. The takings claims were dismissed without prejudice, since section 1983 provides no damages claim against the state and Arkansas offers a remedy through the State Claims Commission. An expert valued the license at $103.5 million, and the Cherokee had spent more than $60 million on the project.

The Cherokee appealed to the Eighth Circuit on September 25, 2025 (No. 25-2904), and the state cross-appealed (No. 25-3026). The Cherokee brief, with Paul Clement as counsel, was filed January 26, 2026, and the state's brief was due March 27, 2026. The Eighth Circuit hadn't issued a decision as of September 27, 2026, based on a search of its opinion database.

Prediction market cases that reach Arkansas

Arkansas isn't a party to any prediction market suit. Attorney General Tim Griffin joined the brief of Ohio, New Jersey and 37 other states filed March 10, 2026 in the Ninth Circuit's Nevada appeals, and the coalition brief backing Massachusetts against Kalshi that New York announced in April 2026. The Third Circuit ruled for Kalshi against New Jersey on April 6, 2026 (No. 25-1922). The Ninth Circuit went the other way on August 28, 2026 in KalshiEX v. Assad (No. 25-7516), and Kalshi sought rehearing en banc on September 9. New Jersey's Supreme Court petition is No. 26-299, with Kalshi's response due November 9, 2026.

The Eighth Circuit, which covers Arkansas, hasn't ruled on preemption. Judge Katherine Menendez enjoined Minnesota's prediction market ban on July 27, 2026, and Judge Stephen Locher denied Kalshi an injunction in Iowa on September 8, 2026 (KalshiEX LLC v. Bird). Kalshi's appeal is No. 26-2874, with its opening brief due November 6, 2026. A decision in that appeal would bind federal courts in Arkansas.

Prediction markets and daily fantasy

In Opinion No. 2025-073, dated October 23, 2025 and requested by Sen. Bryan King, Griffin concluded that a business like Kalshi, offering event contracts without a state license, is conducting gambling that requires licensure, and that transmitting sports information for gaming also violates state law. He also found that event contracts don't qualify as paid fantasy sports games. The opinion doesn't address federal preemption. We found no Arkansas cease-and-desist letter or lawsuit against a prediction market as of September 27, 2026, and a CBS Sports status page dated September 25 lists Kalshi and Polymarket as live in the state. Missouri, also in the Eighth Circuit, sent cease-and-desist letters in September 2026 to six operators: Polymarket, Kalshi, Crypto.com, Novig, Underdog and Robinhood. Novig (Ludlow Exchange, LLC, designated a CFTC contract market June 16, 2026) takes Arkansans 21 and older with ID, since its eligibility page excludes only Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, and it builds no vig into prices and charges only takers, on live, futures and parlay trades.

Daily fantasy is legal under Act 1075 of 2017, effective August 1, 2017. Operators pay an 8% privilege tax on gross fantasy revenue, and contests can't be based on college or high school sports or on horse or greyhound racing. Legal Sports Report says state regulators sent cease-and-desist letters to PrizePicks and Underdog in 2024.

Help with a gambling problem

The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council points players to 1-800-GAMBLER. You can also text 800GAM.

Sources

Common questions

How we track and verify state laws

What does Legal Sportsbooks US track?

Every state's legal status, the date betting became legal, the minimum age, the regulator and the licensed apps, plus the legal history and court cases behind them, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Our page on how we track and verify state laws explains the details.

What do the statuses mean?

Online and retail means licensed mobile apps and in-person sportsbooks both operate. Online only means betting happens through licensed apps, with no retail sportsbooks. Retail only means you can bet in person at licensed venues, but there's no statewide app. Not legal means no licensed sportsbooks operate. Legislation pending means a bill or ballot measure is moving, but betting hasn't launched. Not yet verified means we haven't confirmed the state's current status.

Can I bet on sports where I live?

The rules follow where you are when you place the bet. Licensed apps use geolocation to confirm you're inside a state where they can operate, and some states limit betting to certain premises. Find your state in the state index, or read our guide to location rules.

How old do you have to be to bet on sports?

It's 21 in 33 of the 40 jurisdictions with legal sports betting and 18 in five: Washington, D.C., Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wyoming. In North Dakota and Washington, the tribal casino sets the age.

How current is the tracker?

State laws and licenses change, so every state entry records the date it was last verified. If a status looks out of date, the state regulator's website has the official answer.

Is this legal advice?

No. We summarize public information about state sports betting laws. Confirm the rules with your state regulator before you bet, and don't wager more than you can afford to lose.