States / Arkansas / Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in Arkansas?
Yes. In Arkansas, online and in-person sports betting are legal (as of Oct 12, 2026). Online betting launched 2022; in-person betting 2019. Operators pay No separate sports-wagering tax; online in tax.
| Channel | Status | Launched | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (online) | Live | 2022 | Competitive | Amendment 100 itself did not authorize statewide mobile wagering; the Racing Commission adopted a rule change in 2022 to permit it through partnerships between the state's licensed casinos and third-party mobile sportsbook operators, with a requirement that the casino licensee receive at least 51% of net sports-pool revenue (the reason national brands had to partner with casinos rather than operate independently). In February 2026, the Commission unanimously approved FanDuel (partnered with Oaklawn) and DraftKings (partnered with Southland) to launch statewide mobile sportsbooks. Ark. Const. amend. 100; Arkansas Racing Commission Rule 2.13 (casino gaming/sports wagering rules) [1],[2],[3] |
| Sports (retail) | Live | 2019 | Competitive | Amendment 100 authorizes casino licensees to accept wagers on sporting events to the extent not prohibited by federal law; retail sportsbooks opened at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort first, followed by Southland Casino and (later) Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. Ark. Const. amend. 100; Ark. Code Ann. § 23-115-101 et seq. [4],[5] |
Tax rate
| Rate | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No separate sports-wagering tax; online (mobile) sports-wagering net revenue, run through the licensed casinos' mobile partners, is folded into the same tiered 13%/20% net-casino-gaming-receipts tax (see casino_commercial). NET_REVENUE (online) | Apr 1, 2019 | [6] |
| No separate sports-wagering tax; retail sports-wagering net revenue is folded into each casino licensee's overall 'net casino gaming receipts' and taxed at the same tiered 13%/20% rate (see casino_commercial). NET_REVENUE (retail) | Apr 1, 2019 | Per the casino_commercial tax_rates entries' own sourcing, the tiered net-casino-gaming-receipts tax expressly covers sports-wagering net revenue as part of a casino licensee's overall casino gaming receipts; there is no vertical-specific rate.[6] |
Rules
- Minimum age to place a sports wager
- 21[5]
- Wagering on college sports allowed at all
- Yes · Wagering on collegiate sporting events is allowed, except a wager placed by or for a coach or participant in that event.[7]
- Wagering on in-state college teams allowed
- Yes[7]?
- Individual college player prop bets allowed
- Yes[7]?
- Esports wagering allowed
- No · The sports-wagering rule's definition of a sports event excludes virtual or simulated events, ruling out esports wagering.[7]
- Statutory cap on number of online sportsbook licenses/skins (omit if uncapped)
- 3 · Mobile sports wagering is available only through partnerships with Arkansas's three licensed casinos (Oaklawn, Southland, Saracen); there is no independent online-only license category.[1]
- Online sports wagering available statewide (not tethered to premises)
- Yes · Mobile sports wagering operates statewide through casino-operator partnerships rather than as an Amendment-100-direct authorization.[1]
- Operators must use official league data for some bets
- No · Sports pools may rely on results reported in a newspaper of general circulation as an alternative to official league or governing-body data for certain wagers, so using official league data is not mandatory.[7]
Licensed sportsbooks
| Operator | Brand | Channel | Status | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | DraftKings Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Mar 1, 2022[8] |
| FanDuel | FanDuel Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | Mar 1, 2022[8] |
| Quapaw Nation | BetSaracen | Sports (online) | active | Mar 1, 2022[8] |
All gambling laws in Arkansas → · Sports betting in every state →
Sources
- Mobile Sports Wagering Advances in Arkansas · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Secondary source only; describes the 2022 Racing Commission rule change permitting statewide mobile wagering via casino partnerships.
- Arkansas Approves FanDuel, DraftKings Sportsbooks · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Secondary source only; reports the February 2026 Racing Commission approval and the 51%-casino-share partnership requirement.
- Mobile Sports Betting Could Come to Arkansas Under Proposed Rule Change · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Secondary source only; describes the proposed rule change preceding the 2022 mobile-wagering launch.
- Legal Sports Betting Goes Live In Arkansas At Oaklawn Racing · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Secondary source only; corroborates 2019 retail sports-betting launch and Amendment 100 background.
- Grown: Is sports betting legal in Arkansas and how can I do it? · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Secondary source only; states the 21-and-older gambling/sports-wagering age and the separate 18-and-older horse-racing wagering age at Oaklawn.
- Arkansas casino tax revenue up more than 5% in 2025 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- Casino Gaming Rule 20 — Sports Wagering · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Rule 20.120 bars wagers on election outcomes, on most amateur events (Olympic/collegiate excepted), and on a collegiate event by a coach or participant in it; it does not separately restrict wagers on in-state college teams or on player-performance props. Rule 20.010(21) excludes "any virtual or simulated event" from the sports-event definition, ruling out esports. Rule 20.060(3) lets a sports pool rely on results reported in a newspaper of general circulation as an alternative to official league/governing-body records for certain contingency wagers, so using official data is not mandatory. Rule 20.060(1)/20.160 address payment by cash, chips, wagering-account credit, or (for business entities only) bank transfer; the text available did not address credit-card funding or in-person account registration for individual patrons.
- Arkansas Mobile Sports Betting: Launch Details for Oaklawn, Southland, Saracen · retrieved Oct 10, 2026