The legal options online in Arkansas are sports betting, horse racing wagering and daily fantasy contests. Online casino and poker aren’t legal here. This guide covers what’s legal, who’s licensed by the Arkansas Racing Commission, and how to get started.
Sports betting is legal in Arkansas, but a single rule has shaped the entire market: state rules require online operators to hand at least 51% of revenue to the Arkansas casino they partner with. That cut kept the biggest national books out for four years, leaving casino-branded apps to dominate, until FanDuel and DraftKings finally arrived in March 2026.
In this article 16 sections
- Arkansas gambling in brief
- Is online gambling legal in Arkansas?
- What you can play in Arkansas
- The 51% rule that defined the market
- The sportsbooks available in Arkansas
- Popular bets and teams
- Bet types and how to start
- Horse racing at Oaklawn
- Arkansas casinos
- Sweepstakes casino offers in Arkansas
- Deposits, withdrawals and payouts
- Taxes on your winnings
- How to spot a legal app
- Responsible gambling in Arkansas
- Arkansas gambling in 2027
- More
Arkansas gambling in brief
| Online sports betting | Yes, since March 5, 2022 |
| Casinos | Saracen (Pine Bluff), Oaklawn (Hot Springs), Southland (West Memphis) |
| Legal age | 21+ for sports betting and casinos; 18+ for lottery and DFS |
| Regulator | Arkansas Racing Commission |
| Online apps | FanDuel, DraftKings, BetSaracen |
| Revenue-share rule | Operators give partner casinos at least 51% |
| Online casinos | Not legal |
| Helpline | 1-800-GAMBLER (Arkansas Problem Gambling Council) |
Is online gambling legal in Arkansas?
Yes, for sports betting. Voters approved casino gaming through Amendment 100 in 2018, retail sportsbooks followed, and mobile betting launched on March 5, 2022, when Betly went live. The market is tied to the state’s three casinos (Saracen in Pine Bluff, Oaklawn in Hot Springs and Southland in West Memphis) and regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission. Arkansas players must be 21 or older.
What you can play in Arkansas
Sports betting
The licensed Arkansas apps offer pro and college sports, including in-state college teams and Razorbacks player props, with live betting and parlays. FanDuel (via Oaklawn) and DraftKings (via Southland) launched in March 2026, and Saracen runs its own BetSaracen app. Full details: Arkansas sportsbooks.
Online casino
Not legal. Casino gaming is limited to the three physical venues. 2025 bills (SB 524 and HB 1861) that would have let each casino run one online casino app were withdrawn within a week amid opposition from the governor’s office and attorney general, and the 2026 session produced no follow-up.
Horse racing
Horse racing has deep roots at Oaklawn Park, with on-track and simulcast wagering. Online racebook availability for Arkansas residents varies by operator, so check each ADW’s state list before signing up.
Daily fantasy sports
DFS operates in Arkansas as a contest-based activity separate from sportsbook wagering, open from 18. DraftKings and FanDuel lead the field, joined by pick’em apps such as PrizePicks and Underdog.
Sweepstakes casinos
Available. Arkansas law doesn’t address the sweepstakes model, so it is neither expressly authorized nor banned. See the partner offers below.
Prediction markets
Kalshi-style platforms offer event contracts under federal CFTC oversight rather than state licensing. Federal appeals courts split in 2026, and Arkansas sits in the Eighth Circuit. Our prediction markets guide tracks the cases.
The 51% rule that defined the market
Arkansas’s revenue-share requirement is unusually steep, and it made the state uneconomical for FanDuel and DraftKings at launch, so the early market ran on casino-house apps: Betly at Southland, BetSaracen and Oaklawn Sports. That changed in late February 2026, when the Racing Commission approved FanDuel’s deal with Oaklawn and DraftKings’ deal with Southland. Both went live around March 20, 2026. Saracen, owned by the Quapaw Nation, kept its own platform.
The early numbers showed the cost of a hot start. In March 2026, with the new partners live for only 11 days, Oaklawn’s mobile book lost about $4.2 million and Southland’s lost $6.1 million despite a record $18.23 million handle, while Saracen turned a profit of about $2.15 million, according to Axios. Arkansas remains a casino-anchored market; the question now is whether national brands grow it enough to pay off for the casinos.
The sportsbooks available in Arkansas
None of our sportsbook partners operate in Arkansas, so there’s no partner welcome offer on this page. The three legal apps are tied to the state’s casinos; they are regulated and legitimate. If that changes as the market opens up, we will update this page.
Popular bets and teams
Arkansas is Razorbacks country first and foremost. University of Arkansas football and basketball drive the calendar, and in-state college betting, including player props, is permitted here. With no major pro franchise, NFL loyalties split between nearby markets. Spreads and moneylines lead, with Hogs futures popular each season.
Bet types and how to start
Most Arkansas bettors get by with a few wager types. The moneyline backs a winner straight up, the Razorbacks for instance, and a point spread adds a margin to balance favorite and underdog. A totals bet shifts the focus to combined scoring, parlays reward players who tie several picks together on one slip (every leg must hit), same-game parlays do that within a single Razorbacks game, and futures plus live betting round out the menu.
Getting started takes minutes: confirm you are 21+ and physically in Arkansas, choose a licensed app, and register with real details so identity checks clear. Deposit, set your limits before your first wager, and withdraw once any rollover terms are met. Residency isn’t required, so visitors can bet too.
Horse racing at Oaklawn
There is one major racetrack in Arkansas, Oaklawn Park, part of the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in downtown Hot Springs, about an hour southwest of Little Rock. It offers on-track pari-mutuel wagering and simulcast betting through the casino’s racebook. Oaklawn’s live season runs from late January into early May.
The season’s Grade 1 highlights are the Arkansas Derby for three-year-olds over nine furlongs, a key Kentucky Derby trial in the spring, and the Apple Blossom for older fillies and mares. Prep races such as the Rebel Stakes lead into the Arkansas Derby.
Pari-mutuel bet types at Oaklawn include win, place and show, exotics such as exactas, trifectas, superfectas and quinellas, and multi-race wagers such as the Daily Double and Pick 4. You must be 18 to bet on horses at Oaklawn and 21 to enter the casino.
Arkansas casinos
The choices for land casinos in Arkansas are limited to three: Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis, and Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, operated by the Quapaw Nation. All three combine casino games with sports betting. Amendment 100 taxes casino net gaming receipts at 13% up to $150 million and 20% above that.
Sweepstakes casinos in Arkansas
Residents of Arkansas can play casino-style games through sweepstakes casinos. You play for free with Gold Coins or similar, and Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for prizes under each site’s rules. No purchase is necessary.
Sweepstakes casino offers in Arkansas
Funrize AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
Welcome gift: 125,000 coins
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our Funrize reviewVisit Funrize →No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; free-coin mode only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at Funrize.
- FU
FunzCity AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
Welcome wheel: 125,000 Fun Coins
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our FunzCity reviewVisit FunzCity →No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Fun Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at FunzCity.
- NO
NoLimitCoins AK · AL · AR · AZ · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MD · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OK · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
100,000 Gold Coins on sign-up + 10,000 for email
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our NoLimitCoins reviewVisit NoLimitCoins →No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Gold Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at NoLimitCoins.
RealPrize AK · AL · AR · CO · DC · FL · GA · HI · IA · IL · KS · KY · MA · MN · MO · MS · NC · ND · NE · NH · NM · OH · OR · PA · SC · SD · TX · UT · VA · VT · WI
100,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins after verification
GET! code applied automaticallyRead our RealPrize reviewVisit RealPrize →No purchase necessary. 18+ (21+ where required). Not available in AZ, CA, CT, DE, ID, IN, LA, MD, ME, MI, MT, NJ, NV, NY, OK, TN, WA, WV. Full terms at RealPrize.
These are our sweepstakes partners that accept Arkansas players:
- Funrize: welcome gift of 125,000 coins. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; free-coin mode only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at Funrize. Read our Funrize review.
- FunzCity: welcome wheel of 125,000 Fun Coins. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Fun Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at FunzCity. Read our FunzCity review.
- NoLimitCoins: 100,000 Gold Coins on sign-up plus 10,000 for email. No purchase necessary. 21+. Not available in CT, DE, ID, LA, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, RI, TN, WA, WV, WY; Gold Coins only in CA, IN, MD, ME, OK. Full terms at NoLimitCoins. Read our NoLimitCoins review.
- RealPrize: 100,000 Gold Coins plus 2 Sweeps Coins after verification. No purchase necessary. 18+ (21+ where required). Not available in AZ, CA, CT, DE, ID, IN, LA, MD, ME, MI, MT, NJ, NV, NY, OK, TN, WA, WV. Full terms at RealPrize. Read our RealPrize review.
Other sweepstakes brands, including Chumba, LuckyLand Slots, McLuck, Pulsz and Crown Coins, also accept players nationally. Note that the withdrawn 2025 bill would have made dual-currency sweepstakes games a felony, and a future session could revive that language.
Deposits, withdrawals and payouts
Legal Arkansas apps support debit and credit cards, online banking and ACH transfers, PayPal and other e-wallets, prepaid Play+ cards, and cash at a partner casino cage. Most deposits are instant. Withdrawals to PayPal or online banking are usually fastest once your identity is verified, and your first withdrawal triggers a one-time identity (KYC) check.
Taxes on your winnings
The headline Arkansas tax rates are paid by the casinos, not by you. Your gambling winnings are taxable income federally and in Arkansas. Arkansas taxes winnings gross; losses are deductible only if you itemize on Form AR3 and cannot exceed the winnings you report. For 2026 federal returns, the gambling loss deduction is limited to 90% of losses. Keep your own record of wins and losses, and treat a tax professional’s advice as the last word.
How to spot a legal app
A legal Arkansas sportsbook is tied to a licensed casino, runs geolocation to confirm you are in Arkansas, enforces the 21+ minimum, and verifies your identity at sign-up. Names like Bovada, BetOnline and MyBookie are not regulated in Arkansas or anywhere in the US; they carry no state consumer protections and can be slow or unwilling to pay. If you have a dispute with a licensed book, start with its customer support, then take it to the Arkansas Racing Commission.
Responsible gambling in Arkansas
Betting in Arkansas should stay entertainment, not a way to chase money or claw back losses. Every licensed Arkansas operator hands you deposit, wager and time limits plus cool-off and self-exclusion tools; set them when you open the account. The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council’s helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER, free and confidential, around the clock.
Arkansas gambling in 2027
iGaming and sweepstakes bills could return
The 2025 bills to legalize casino apps and ban sweepstakes were withdrawn and sent to interim study. The 2027 regular session is the next opportunity, and any revival would likely pair the two again.
A full year of FanDuel and DraftKings
The national books’ first full year will show whether their arrival grows Arkansas handle enough to offset the March 2026 losses at Oaklawn and Southland.
Oaklawn’s 2027 meet
Oaklawn’s season runs from late January to early May, with the Arkansas Derby in the spring as a key Kentucky Derby trial.
Is online casino legal in Arkansas?
No. Arkansas authorized sports betting tied to its three casinos, but online casino gaming is not legal. 2025 bills to change that were withdrawn.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Arkansas?
Arkansas law doesn’t address them, so they are neither expressly allowed nor banned. Several operate under a no-purchase-necessary model.
Can I bet in Arkansas if I'm only visiting?
Yes. Residency isn’t required: be physically in Arkansas and 21+ to use a licensed app.
How old do you have to be to bet on horses at Oaklawn?
18 for pari-mutuel wagering at the track, and 21 to enter the casino.
Can I bet on Arkansas college teams?
Yes. Arkansas permits college betting, including on the Razorbacks and including player props.
Do I have to pay tax on Arkansas winnings?
Yes. Winnings are taxable federally and in Arkansas. You can deduct losses only if you itemize, up to the amount of winnings reported.
