- DraftKings and FanDuel have utilized for Arkansas sports activities betting entry
- The sportsbook leaders are searching for on-line sportsbook concessions
- Arkansas mandates that 51% of a web based sportsbook’s income stay with the tethered on line casino
Sportsbook giants DraftKings and FanDuel are lastly able to wager on Arkansas, roughly 4 years after cell sports activities playing went reside.
State officers in Arkansas will take into account on-line sports activities betting purposes from DraftKings and FanDuel. After years of sitting on the sidelines attributable to a compulsory revenue-sharing requirement, the sportsbook giants are reportedly able to wager on the Razorback State. (Picture: Shutterstock)
Arkansas sports activities betting, each in-person and on-line, was approved via Situation 4. The 2018 statewide constitutional referendum accepted as many as 4 casinos, although it seems solely three will come to fruition.
The poll query granted new from-the-ground-up casinos in Jefferson and Pope counties. The Southland and Oaklawn racinos got the correct to grow to be full-fledged casinos with slots, reside seller desk video games, and sportsbooks.
A mandated situation of the next gaming laws was that, for on-line sports activities betting, a majority of the gross income stays with the partnered on line casino, and never the third-party working social gathering, equivalent to FanDuel or DraftKings. The 51% rule, which has been lambasted by sports activities betting pursuits, was tailor-made to make sure that Arkansas’ embrace of on-line sports activities betting primarily advantages entities contained in the Razorback State.
Casinos that run their very own on-line sportsbooks retain 100% of the proceeds, minus taxes. Southland On line casino Resort presently runs Betly, Saracen On line casino Resort has BetSaracen, and Oaklawn Racing On line casino Resort operates Oaklawn Sports activities.
Why Now?
DraftKings and FanDuel, together with their lobbying arm, the Sports activities Betting Alliance, have lengthy argued towards the 51% situation. The sportsbooks declare that mandating a majority share of the sports activities playing income they generate be allotted to their tethered on line casino companions renders the market unattractive.
So, why are FanDuel and DraftKings able to wager on Arkansas now?
The American Gaming Affiliation studies that Arkansas sports activities betting income soared nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024, with oddsmakers maintaining $48.2 million of the bets. The majority of the sports activities income, round 90%, was facilitated on-line. Sports activities playing skilled additional vital progress in 2025. Oddsmakers saved about $59.7 million of the deal with, a greater than 23% year-over-year enchancment.
These numbers, in fact, are earlier than the state’s 13-20% tax on every on line casino’s gross gaming income and the federal excise tax of 0.25% on each sports activities wager made.
Development Potential
DraftKings and FanDuel would presumably develop the Arkansas on-line sports activities betting market attributable to their robust title recognition and constant promoting and promotional capabilities. The platforms suppose so, in any other case they wouldn’t have submitted on-line sportsbook purposes.
This is able to enable the sportsbooks to make the most of the expertise of DraftKings and FanDuel. You may see the apps themselves change. You may see lots of advertising and marketing round it, and I feel it will undoubtedly change the face of how that is marketed throughout the state,” Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Racing & Gaming Fee, informed 5NEWS.
The state racing and gaming regulatory fee is predicted to think about the net sportsbook license purposes throughout its assembly this Thursday, Feb. 26, in Little Rock.
