Arkansas Sports Wagering Requires a Casino License

Arkansas voters created the legal opening for sports betting in 2018 through Amendment 100, which authorized casino gaming at four sites: Southland in Crittenden County, Oaklawn in Garland County, Saracen in Jefferson County, and Legends in Pope County. The Arkansas Racing Commission then wrote the operating rules. Under 23 CAR § 358-2002, no person may operate or own any interest in a race book or sports pool in Arkansas unless that person holds a casino license, and authorization runs directly from Amendment 100's rulemaking mandate rather than a separate sportsbook license.

A sports pool is defined as a business that accepts wagers on sporting events other than horse or animal races (23 CAR § 358-2001(20)); an online sports pool is the same activity conducted over the internet through websites or apps, but a licensee must already run a retail sports pool on its casino floor before it can go online (§ 358-2001(12)(B)). Each casino licensee may operate no more than two individually branded online platforms, each of which must visibly display the affiliated casino's name (§ 358-2002(d)-(e)).

Wagers are limited to live human or motor-race sporting events; virtual, simulated, or rebroadcast events cannot be booked (§ 358-2001(19)(B)). residents, a Social Security number (23 CAR § 358-511(b)). Until that identity is verified, deposits are capped at $5,000 and no withdrawals are permitted (§ 358-511(e)).

Taking sports wagers without holding a casino license flatly violates 23 CAR § 358-2002(a). Arkansas has no path to a standalone or independent sportsbook. A casino licensee's license can be revoked or suspended if a criminal conviction discredits the state or the gaming industry (23 CAR § 358-403). On the player side, an interactive gaming account left unverified past 30 days must be suspended, its winnings retained by the operator, and its deposit balance refunded and the account closed (§ 358-511(f)).