Bills in state House, Senate would legalize online casino gambling

A bipartisan group of lawmakers filed legislation Wednesday that would legalize online casino games in Arkansas.

The legislation, which comes in the form of two identical bills, Senate Bill 524 and House Bill 1861, would allow the state’s three licensed casinos to operate their games online. Authority to regulate online, or interactive gaming, would be given to the Arkansas Racing Commission, which would have to sign off on any “interactive gaming system.”

The bills would also update the state’s gambling laws making it a felony to operate an unlicensed online casino that does business in Arkansas.

Saracen Casino Resort, located in Pine Bluff, has pushed for the legislation this session, saying the legalization of interactive gaming would help deter Arkansans from using offshore casinos.

Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa said offshore casinos with links to China are already accessible to Arkansans looking to bet. He said if online gaming is legalized for Arkansas casinos, the state would be able to tax and regulate it.

“More importantly it will serve to restrict the market by allowing only the three licensed casinos in Arkansas to engage in this business,” Saffa said in a statement. “In doing so it will generate millions in revenue at the expense of the offshore casinos as they are displaced by legitimate operators.”

[LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR: Catch up on this week’s meetings » arkleg.state.ar.us/]

The legislation says interactive gaming includes placing bets through “A mobile cellular device using an application,” or “An internet browser on a supported device using software.”

Saffa said the legislation would mean Arkansans could play classic casino games such as blackjack, slots and roulette online, not just at brick-and-mortar casinos.

Saffa admitted the bill’s ban on offshore casinos is “largely symbolic,” as Arkansas will won’t be able to enforce the prohibition outside its jurisdiction.

In a statement, Sam Dubke, a spokesman for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said of the legislation, “The Governor reviews legislation as it is introduced and debated.”

Spokespeople for Oaklawn casino in Hot Springs and Southland casino in West Memphis did not return requests for comment prior to deadline.

The legislation would also allow for casinos to operate drawings to raise funds to pay collegiate athletes for their name, image and likeness under the Arkansas Student-Athlete Publicity Rights Act. The bill is separate from Act 305 that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed on Tuesday, which allows colleges and universities to hold raffles to raise funds for their athletic departments or to pay athletes for their name, image and likeness.

Act 305 permits colleges to run raffles under Amendment 84 to the Arkansas Constitution, which permits nonprofit groups to raise money through bingo games and raffles.

In August, Saracen asked the Arkansas Racing Commission for a rule change to permit online gambling and drawings to raise funds to pay student-athletes for their name, image and likeness. However, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said state law wouldn’t permit it to do so.

According to The Associated Press seven states permit online casinos: New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

If approved, the bills would be another expansion of Arkansas’ casino industry. In 2018, Arkansas voters approved Amendment 100 to the state’s constitution permitting the Arkansas Racing Commission to issue four gaming licenses to casinos in Garland, Jefferson, Crittenden and Pope counties.

Since then, three casinos have opened Hot Springs, West Memphis and Pine Bluff. In 2024, voters approved a constitutional amendment repealing the gaming license for the Pope County Casino.

The latest expansion in gambling came when the Arkansas Racing Commission signed off on mobile sports betting in December 2021, allowing those inside Arkansas to place bets on sporting events through a mobile app or browser.