Online sports betting goes live in Arkansas

Online sports betting debuted in Arkansas at Southland Casino Racing and its Betly sportsbook.

US.- Arkansas online mobile sports betting went live in the state on Saturday (March 5). Southland Casino in West Memphis was the first venue to launch its regulated online sportsbook, Betly.

Betly online sportsbook is available on PC and Mac browsers, but isn’t yet accessible through mobile phones, although that’s expected to come in the near future. Arkansas’ two other casinos, Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff and Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, plan to launch their own standalone online sportsbooks in the coming days.

Mobile sports gaming became legal on March 4, after a proposed rule by the state’s Racing Commission allowing betting off casino premises secured final approval. The state wanted to have online sports betting up and running before March Madness, the annual NCAA college men’s basketball tournament, which starts March 13.

Arkansas mobile sports betting had been expected to launch for the Super Bowl, but was held up over debate around a rule that means Arkansas casinos must retain 51 per cent of revenue from any contract with a third-party vendor.

Unanimously signed off on December 30, the 51 per cent split would set Arkansas apart from other states offering sports gaming: the national average share is between 5 per cent to 15 per cent with local casinos. Most states allow operators and casinos to negotiate their revenue-sharing agreements.

See also: Arkansas Racing Commission approves mobile sports betting