Is Real Money Online Gambling Legal in Arkansas?

Top Sites for Online Gambling in Arkansas

• Bovada  – Best Arkansas Gambling Site
• SlotsandCasino  – Best Slot Casino for AR
• BetUS  – Best Sports Betting Site for Arkansans
• Ignition Casino  – Best AR Poker Site
• BC.Game  – Best Crypto Site for Arkansans
• Red Dog Casino  – Best Bonus for Arkansans
• DuckyLuck Casino  – Best Arkansas Live Dealer Site
• EveryGame  – Best Table Game Site for AR

Arkansas Gambling Sites Compared

Our Selection Criteria for Arkansas Online Gambling Sites

The B.E.S.T. system is how we rank online gambling sites for Arkansas bettors. It’s a complex grading system weighing all the aspects and characteristics of an online gambling operation to ensure Arkansas gamblers can easily choose between sites that meet the highest standards.

So, what does B.E.S.T. stand for?

Bonuses

Entertainment

Safety

Transactions

• Bonuses — We look at cash bonuses, crypto bonuses, even free spins awarded. If the site has a sportsbook, we include any bonuses offered there, as well—and the same goes for poker rooms.
• Entertainment Features — We look for ease of use, simplicity of design, and variety of games, among other things, when we grade a gambling site for its entertainment value.
• Safety and Security — We ensure that every site we recommend has methods and applications in place to protect your personal and financial information. One way the site demonstrates this is having a clearly delineated Privacy Policy. We also look at their data security overall, including the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) throughout their site. This is the most heavily-weighted category in our ranking system.
• Transactions — Finding sites with the most convenient methods of depositing funds is important—just as important as finding those that offer the fastest withdrawal methods. Additionally, we check to ensure the site uses banking-level encryption for all financial transactions.

Learn More About Us Read How We Rate Contact Us

Established September 1st, 2014

250+ casino and sportsbook reviews written

22,464,187+ visitors have read our content

12.5k+ blog posts published

Is Online Gambling Legal in Arkansas

Regulation of in-state gambling in Arkansas is spread out across a number of documents, from a constitution written in 1874 (and relatively unchanged since) to the state’s racing commission, which has become Arkansas’s umbrella organ for all forms of sports and casino gambling law.

For the past 150 years, Arkansas has made slow progress toward opening up the state to various forms of gambling. Here’s what we learned:

Arkansas Constitution

The Arkansas Constitution(1) authorizes horse racing in Hot Springs. It permits casinos at four distinct locations in the state (each capable of accepting wagers on sporting events), and establishes the right of charitable non-profit organizations to play bingo occasionally.

It is silent, however, on the subject of the Internet. However, this isn’t surprising, since aside from a few amendments, the constitution remains much the same as it was when it was accepted in 1874.

Arkansas Racing Commission Rules

Formally known as the “Rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission”, this 311-page document(2) covers all forms of gambling operation permitted within the state. Within its 25 separate Rules sections, the Commission lays out the requirements and restrictions for every type of gaming licensed in the state.

To clarify, the Rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission restrict and control services offered by gambling enterprises licensed by the state; they do not restrict or prohibit gamblers themselves in any way–with the exception of prohibiting various gaming enterprises from accepting wagers from persons less than 21 years of age (in the case of casinos) or 18 years of age (bingo, parimutuel horse racing).

Oddly enough, Rule 21, which pertains to card games, does not note a minimum age for players, but since the only card room in Arkansas is located within a casino, it would be safe to assume the players must be at least 21 years of age.

Arkansas Code

Within the Arkansas Code we finally find rules pertaining to the actual placement of wagers(3). And here’s where the real confusion begins.

A cursory reading of Title Five, Chapter 66 of the Arkansas Code reveals that it prohibits wagering in virtually all forms of gambling, including parimutuel wagering, sports wagers, slot machine, bingo, keno, and poker.

Since we know all of those (with the exception of bingo) are played at state-licensed casinos, race tracks, and sportsbooks throughout the state, it’s obvious that the Arkansas Code’s stance on all forms of gambling is in direct conflict with Arkansas’s other written laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to gambling, not the least of which is the Arkansas Constitution itself.

One fact does suggest the state’s attitude concerning its residents engaging in online gambling: as of the end of 2022, no Arkansas resident has been prosecuted for wagering at offshore online casinos. Incidentally, the Code decrees that anyone convicted of wagering on “hazard or skill games” (slots and table games, in other words) shall be punished with a fine of no less than $10 and no more than $25.

Incidentally, the Arkansas Code offers far clearer law on a laser pointer in the possession of anyone under the age of 18.

Summary of Arkansas Laws Governing Gambling

Like many states, Arkansas law does not expressively prohibit internet gaming or gambling. It does, however, codify when and where bingo sessions may be held, the number and location of permitted casinos within the state, and exactly how many days the thoroughbred horse racing season may run.

And while Arkansas has issued rules to control “interactive” gambling operations the state has licensed, it does not appear to have restricted or outlawed the placing of wagers with said interactive operations.

Land-Based Gambling Options in Arkansas

There are only three casinos in Arkansas, and they also serve as the only land-based opportunities to play poker, wager on games of skill, bet on the Razorbacks or the Arkansas Attack, and play the slots.

While neighboring states have thriving tribal casinos, Arkansas has but a single tribal casino inside its borders—the others are legacy gambling operations from the days of greyhound racing.

Casinos

Card Rooms

Sportsbooks

Horse Racing

State Lottery

Since the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery was legalized, it has generated up to $600 million in gross revenue per year, with up to $114 million of that going to college scholarships for Arkansas students.

In fact, in the years between 2009 and 2023, the ASL generated more than $1.2 billion in scholarship proceeds.

Thousands of retailers are licensed throughout the state to sell lottery tickets, and Arkansas has established a network of lottery tower kiosks in larger retail stores.

Bingo

Bingo is not commercially available as it is in other states. The Arkansas constitution only permits bingo games to operate two days a week (each day limited to one bingo session that may not exceed five hours in duration). Only nonprofit tax-exempt “authorized organizations” may conduct bingo games, and they must be licensed by the state.

Arkansas Gambling Timeline

Future of Gambling in Arkansas

More than 200 years ago, Arkansas’s constitution went through five iterations to reach the form it’s had (with a few amendments) since 1874. This is to say that the state does not move quickly. Pressure from residents and online sports may have brought about some recent change, adding sportsbooks (both land-based and of the state-limited online) to the Arkansas’s few licensed gambling operations. For the most part, though, change has come slowly.

The only likely change on the immediate horizon is the development of the $225 million Legends Resort & Casino near Russellville. Owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses, the proposed resort casino would become the second casino in Arkansas owned and operated by Native American tribes. The first, Saracen Casino Resort, is owned and operated by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Gambling Responsibly

Responsible gambling is our way of making sure we aren’t harming ourselves or others with your wagering. And despite the sparsity of land-based gambling venues, Arkansas offers a number of services, therapies, and rehab opportunities for gamblers who suspect they have a problem with gambling—or know someone who does.

Here are three of the best:

• Arkansas Problem Gambling Council
• Gamblers Anonymous offers regular meetings in Little Rock, Fayetteville, Ft. Smith, and Siloam Springs
• Arkansas River Valley Area Council/Freedom House

Legal Sources

1. Arkansas Constitution (1874), Justicia US Law
2. “Rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission”, Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
3. ”Gambling”, Arkansas Code Title 5, §6, Chapter 66 — Gambling

Gambling Online in Arkansas

You now know what gambling options are available to you in Arkansas. There are land-based casinos in West Memphis, Pine Bluff, and Hot Springs, AR, as well as card rooms, sportsbooks, and The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. There are also numerous offshore sportsbooks and casinos Arkansas residents can access.

For online gambling in Arkansas, Bovada firmly stands out as the top overall gambling site in the state. It’s expansive sportsbook, impressive poker room, elite casino, and solid bonuses combine to offer the most complete online gambling experience you’ll find. If you’re in search for something more specific, other options like SlotsandCasino (best casino), BetUS (top overall sportsbook), and Ignition Casino (best site for playing poker) all stand out, among others.

Arkansas law has moved slowly, but you can still freely use offshore casinos and sportsbooks if you want to gamble online. You can pick a site that caters to specific preferences, or head to Bovada to start gambling at the top gambling site in the state.

J.W. Paine

J.W. Paine is one of the most experienced writers at GamblingSites.com. He’s written for television and the printed media, and is a published novelist (as Tom Elliott).

Paine loves writing about Las Vegas nearly as much he loves living here. An experienced gambler, he’s especially familiar with thoroughbred horseracing, poker, blackjack, and slots.

More Posts by J.W.

More Guides to Online Gambling in the United States