Steve Janus in 
When the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort took its first sports bet on July 1, 2019, Arkansas officially became the eighth state outside of Nevada to do so.
Arkansas was just the second state in the south portion of the country to open its doors to the sports betting industry, joining neighboring state Mississippi, which was one of the first to get in on the action back in August of 2018.
Several more neighboring states will be legalizing sports betting in the near future. Tennessee is knocking on the door (legal pending), while Missouri and Louisiana are projected to pass bills at some point this year.
List of Arkansas Sportsbooks & Betting Locations
| Casino | Location |
|---|---|
| Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort | Hot Springs |
| Southland Casino | West Memphis |
It’s great for the residents of Arkansas that sports betting has been made legal, but the options are extremely limited.
The only operational book when the state launched itself into the sports betting world was the Oakland Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs. While Hot Springs is pretty well centralized in the state of Arkansas, for many residents it was simply too far a trip to make, especially for those who wanted to bet on sports on a daily basis.
Things did get a little more convenient in January of 2020, when the Southland Casino in West Memphis opened its new sportsbook. For those that don’t know, West Memphis is located on the east side of Arkansas, almost exactly where the state shares its border with both Mississippi and Tennessee.
As of right now those are the only two land-based sportsbooks in the state. There is the possibility of two other establishments being added. Sports betting licenses are available in both Pope Country and Jefferson County.
Arkansas Online Sports Wagering & Mobile Gaming
Having only two sportsbook operations in the state wouldn’t be all that bad if online sports betting was an option. All players would have to do is make one trip to one of the casinos and they could then place a wager anywhere inside state lines.
Unfortunately online betting is not an option for Arkansas residents at this time. It’s likely those that don’t live close to Hot Springs or West Memphis will find other avenues for making their sports bets.
With that said, there have been several states who have legalized online betting well after they opened up for business at land-based casinos. Given how things are going, it’s likely only a matter of time before that option is made available.