Arkansas: status at a glance
| Online casino | Not authorized |
|---|---|
| Sports betting | Online and retail |
| Online poker | Not authorized |
| Sweepstakes casinos | No ban found in our sources |
How Arkansas organizes gambling
In Arkansas, gambling runs through licensed casinos and racing franchises, not through a general online licensing program. The Arkansas Racing Commission issues the casino licenses, and the Department of Finance and Administration publishes the Commission's rules and a casino gaming FAQ on its website.
The rules define the license count directly. Section 358-204 of the Commission's casino gaming rules says the Commission "shall issue four (4) licenses to conduct casino gaming at casinos," one for a franchise holder in Crittenden County, one for a franchise holder in Garland County, one in Pope County within two miles of the city limits of the county seat, and one in Jefferson County within two miles of the city limits of the county seat. The rules refer to a definition in Amendment 100, the constitutional amendment on casino gaming, for the term net casino gaming receipts. We did not read the amendment itself.
Who holds a license now
The Department's FAQ says there are three active casino licensees in Arkansas, located in Hot Springs, West Memphis and Pine Bluff. That is one fewer than the four licenses the rule provides for. The FAQ does not say what has happened to the fourth, and we did not find a source that does.
The two figures answer different questions: four is what the rules authorize, three is what the FAQ says is operating. The FAQ file carries a creation date of September 11, 2025.
What an online sports pool is
The online part of Arkansas betting is defined narrowly in the rules. Section 358-2001 describes an online sports pool as one where sports wagers are made over the internet, on websites or mobile applications, and accepted through a gaming system approved by the Racing Commission. A sports pool is defined as a business that accepts wagers on sporting events other than horse or other animal races.
Two conditions in that definition stand out. First, a casino licensee has to operate a sports pool from its own premises before it can run an online one, and has to keep operating it. Second, online operation is prohibited where a majority of the net casino gaming receipts goes to a third-party vendor helping to run the pool. Online betting is therefore tied to the licensed casinos, not open to any company that wants to enter the market. Industry trackers list Arkansas as having statewide online sports betting; they report a small number of platforms, and we did not find a Commission page listing them.
What is not licensed
The sources we read describe no program for online casino games, such as slots or table games, and none for online poker, and the status table above agrees. Casino gaming in the rules means gaming at the licensed casinos. A site offering these products to Arkansas residents is not operating under a state license. The poker states list shows where online poker is licensed across the country.
The Department's FAQ also says what to do about unlicensed gambling: if a business offers casino gaming or sports wagering products without a casino license, contact local law enforcement. Residents can request a gaming license verification by email at casino.gaming@dfa.arkansas.gov, and the FAQ asks for 10 to 15 business days for a reply.
Sweepstakes casinos
Industry trackers record no state ban and no regulator action on sweepstakes casinos in Arkansas, and we did not find a primary source on the question either way. That absence of action is not a license. No Arkansas agency licenses sweepstakes casinos and none keeps a list of them. How these games are built, and why their legal position varies from state to state, is explained in the guide to sweepstakes casino legality; the banned states table shows the states that have acted.
Charitable games
The Department's FAQ points anyone who wants to run a bingo, a raffle or amusement devices to a separate excise tax page rather than to the Racing Commission. We did not open that page, so the rules for those games are not described here.
Help and neighboring states
The national helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). We did not read an Arkansas-run helpline page, so none is listed; see the responsible gambling page for more.
Arkansas borders Oklahoma, where, according to industry trackers, a law against sweepstakes casinos took effect on November 1, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bet on sports online in Arkansas?
Yes, through a casino licensee's approved online sports pool. The rules require the casino to run a sports pool at its own location first, and they set the terms for vendor revenue.
Is there an online casino in Arkansas?
No licensing program for online casino games appears in the sources we read. The state's licensed casinos are physical locations.
Who regulates gambling in Arkansas?
The Arkansas Racing Commission issues casino licenses and writes the rules. The Department of Finance and Administration publishes its documents.
How do I report an unlicensed gambling operation?
The Department says to contact local law enforcement to file a complaint.