Arkansas Sports Betting Apps: Top Sportsbooks in AR
The push for legalized Arkansas online sports betting has been a fairly swift, successful process. Sure, votes on potential rule changes for making online betting legal in Arkansas goes back a handful of months, but online sports betting is now live in Arkansas.
And although no Arkansas betting apps were ready on Day 1, we know it's just a matter of time. As March Madness gives way to a new crop of energized Arkansas sports bettors, it's worth your time to review the exciting AR sports betting app options that are likely coming to the state.
In this review, we'll offer insight into the Arkansas online betting market by highlighting top AR sportsbook options, listing some Arkansas sports betting FAQs, outlining the state's responsible gambling resources and more.
Top Arkansas Sports Betting Apps
For now, the only AR betting apps that we know with certainty are entering this market belong to the three retail casinos in the state: Saracen Casino Resort (BetSaracen), Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort (Oaklawn Anywhere) and Southland Casino Racing (Betly). Each of those casinos has an opportunity to partner with at least one additional platform, and based on which top-rated operators are most likely to seek licenses, we've compiled a shortlist of the best projected AR sports betting apps.
Caesars Arkansas Sportsbook App
If you care about welcome bonuses, mobile app interface or customer loyalty programs, you're going to like what the Caesars Sportsbook promo code REALGMFULL unlocks. Caesars already has a partnership within the Southeastern Conference (with LSU), which establishes some precedent that could serve the Arkansas Razorbacks well down the road. And with the Caesars Rewards program, your sports bets will earn you reward credits, which can be used at hotels, retail sportsbooks, restaurants, and through the mobile app.
Expected Welcome Offer: Up to $1,250 on Caesars + 1,000 Tier Credits and 1,000 Reward Credits
Live Since: Awaiting license application
States Available In: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia (and D.C.)
App Offered: Via the App Store and Google Play
DraftKings Arkansas Sportsbook App
If you're an Arkansan who's already joined DraftKings to play DFS, then you already know about the 20% deposit match. With a bonus worth up to $1,000, it's one of the biggest bonus in the sports betting industry. Folks who will be coming to DraftKings for the first time with a sportsbook launch will have access to that deposit bonus, other welcome deals such as odds boosts, and the huge menu of sports betting options that only a mega-national brand like DraftKings could provide. It's one of the most widely-available mobile sportsbooks in the U.S., and its ratings on the App Store and Google Play reflect supreme customer satisfaction.
Expected Welcome Offer: 20% first-deposit bonus worth up to $1,000
Live Since: Awaiting license application
States Available In: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming
App Offered: Via the App Store and Google Play
FanDuel Arkansas Sportsbook App
FanDuel, like DraftKings, is a titan of the DFS industry, and it has assuredly established a customer base in the Natural State already. FanDuel would arguably become the best sports betting app AR when it comes to recurring promotions, with timely free bet rewards offerings that align with events on the sports calendar. You'll also find a long list of prop bet options for the top leagues, including the NFL and NBA.
Expected Welcome Offer: No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000
Live Since: Awaiting license application
States Available In: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
App Offered: Via the App Store and Google Play
BetMGM Arkansas Sportsbook App
All you have to do is look east to Tennessee to figure out how popular BetMGM Sportsbook is. Based on betting handle, it's a top-three online sportsbook in the Volunteer State (along with DraftKings and FanDuel), and it boasts an excellent rewards program linked to its parent company, MGM Resorts International. Throw in a solid new-customer promotion and daily odds boosts, and you've got a well-rounded sportsbook app AR.
Expected Welcome Offer: First-bet offer up to $1,000
Live Since: Awaiting license application
States Available In: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York*, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming (and D.C.) (* Welcome offer not available)
App Offered: Via the App Store and Google Play
Sports to Bet on in Arkansas
No, you won't find any major professional sports teams in Arkansas to bet on, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying action across those leagues and more. Arkansas sports bettors are still bound to find their way to the most popular sports leagues, and here's what you should know about each of those.
Football Betting
Online sports betting Arkansas won't experience a more exciting, eventful betting opportunity than the Super Bowl. But the NFL is perhaps the most exciting sports to bet on during its regular season, too, given how many props, odds boosts and promotions the average Arkansas online sports betting site is sure to deploy. The NFL dominates TV audiences, and its presence in fantasy sports make it even more of a spectacle. Frankly, no league competes with the NFL in terms of its betting magnitude.
Hockey Betting
A slower night on the NBA schedule usually correlates with a busier night in the NHL, so look to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for the best parlay opportunities. When making bets on NHL markets, keep in mind that the spread (i.e., the "puck line") is always 1.5 goals on either side. When picking moneylines, it may help to identify the starting goalies and to check if either team is playing the back end of a back-to-back set.
Basketball Betting
You'd be hard-pressed to find a league that is more star-driven than the NBA, where a top player can take over a game on any given night. One of those players is Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, who plays in nearby Memphis. The NBA is also one of the best leagues in terms of the availability of prop bets (second only to the NFL), which makes betting even more fun. To maximize your NBA parlay opportunities, target Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays (the busiest nights on the NBA schedule).
Baseball Betting
In a typical season, 30 MLB teams play 162 games apiece in about six months (plus playoffs). That's a lot of action to bet on! And baseball makes live betting easy because of the high frequency of half-inning breaks and pitching changes.
College Sports Betting
Arkansas sports betting fans who are craving some local flavor can certainly find it here. Not all state allow college sports betting for local teams, but fortunately betting legal in Arkansas includes NCAA football and basketball. There are five men's basketball programs, and two top-tier football programs, which creates a decent volume of locally-influenced games to wager on. There's nothing wrong with betting on regular season competition, but the real intrigue heats up during March Madness and football's bowl season.
Top AR Teams to Bet On
There are approximately 3 million people in the state — of course, not all are old enough to be Arkansas sports bettors — and only one city in the state has more than 100,000 residents (Little Rock). Given these factors, Arkansas probably isn't cut out to host a major pro sports team. But it's a great place to support college athletics, which can be bet on legally in Arkansas.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, located in Fayetteville, are the undisputed top sports brand in Arkansas. They play in the SEC, which makes them the lone Arkansas school present in a Power 5 conference. Since 2014, the Razorbacks' football program has made four bowl games (and won three), while the men's basketball program has qualified for four March Madness tournaments.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
They may not carry the same cachet as the Razorbacks, but the Red Wolves have the only other FBS (formerly Division I-A) program in the state. The past two years were a bit of a struggle, but Arkansas State reached a bowl game in every season from 2011-19. On the men's basketball side, the team hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament since 1999.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
You can find Golden Lions football at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level, but for men's basketball they're located in the top tier — just don't expect them to make March Madness with any kind of regularity. Pine Bluff is the city where the Saracen Casino Resort is located, so maybe the program can stir up a betting partnership at some point in the future.
Arkansas Sportsbook Promo Codes and Bet Bonuses
One of the most important factors in selecting an AR sports betting app will be the welcome bonus offer. Every sportsbook app AR will have something different, and some will be more lucrative than others. To understand the most common bonus types that are likely to be available, check out the sections below.
Risk-Free Bets and Bet Insurance
A bet that is either "risk-free" or comes with "bet insurance" (different wording depending on the sportsbook) ensures that the customer will receive something from their wager. In the event of a losing bet, the customer will receive a free bet refund of their initial stake, and that free bet can then be used at the sportsbook to win cash.
Deposit Match
These ones are the simplest. Sportsbooks that offer a deposit match will give you a cash or site credit bonus that corresponds with the value of your deposit. Some bonuses are a 100% match of your deposit, while others are partial matches (e.g., 20%).
Odds Boosts
The best Arkansas sportsbooks will offer odds boosts on a regular basis to existing customers. But some sports betting apps have extra-special odds boost offers for newcomers, which a chance to win a lump sum of cash or site credit. For example, some sites might off 30-1 odds on a $5 UFC moneyline bet, with the winnings paid in cash. In short, an odds boost simply means you receive a greater potential payout (i.e., a "boosted" payout) compared to a standard market.
Important Features of an Arkansas Betting App
When it comes time to choose an Arkansas sports betting app, we know you'll want the best. But we can't exactly make that selection for you. In addition to the value of a particular online sportsbook's welcome bonus, here's some of the other important features to keep in mind.
Variety Of Bets Allowed
Some of you already know exactly how you like to bet (e.g., point spreads for NFL, moneylines for NBA), and there's nothing wrong with that. But we'd encourage you to look for a sportsbook that offers a wide variety of bets, because you'll be able to experience new ways to win.
Legal and Regulated
You'll notice that every Arkansas online sports betting site referenced on this page is legal and regulated in the U.S. That's because we only review licensed betting apps, as we only want to expose customers to companies that are reputable and trustworthy. When we vet online sportsbooks, including the ones that are likely making their way to Arkansas, we check to see that their betting markets feature competitive lines and odds.
Reputation
This is sort of a catch-all characteristic, which makes it particularly important. What do your friends have to say about this sportsbook app? Does it generally rate well or poorly online? On some level, you have to make a determination for yourself of whether or not a sports betting site is right for you — but the opinions and experiences of others matter, too. We only recommend Arkansas betting apps that are licensed and regulated in the state.
Ease Of Deposits and Withdrawal
Sports betting is supposed to be fun, and it is, but let's not forget that you also have an opportunity to win some money. And with that in mind, being able to make deposits and withdrawals easily (and safely) is hugely important. The Arkansas sports wagering apps that succeedwill need to have a nice variety of commonplace banking options to satisfy their customers. If you have a major credit or debit card, or you're adept at making online bank transactions, you're going to be just fine. Just make sure you know you deposit and withdrawal methods of choice before attempting to make your initial deposit.
Customer Support
The unsung hero amid all these features is customer support. You don't want to use it, but if you have to, you need to know that it's going to be reliable. Top AR sportsbooks should have Arkansas online sports betting FAQs, along with live chat, phone support and email support. The extent to which an sports betting in Arkansas site invests in its customer support (or doesn't invest) will tell you a lot about that company.
Bets Available at Legal Arkansas Sportsbook Apps
Once your Arkansas online sports betting account is set up and you've made a cash deposit, it'll be time to place your first sports wagers. You'll be faced with a bunch of betting types, and they might seem confusing at first to a rookie bettor. But don't worry, it's all fairly simple. Let's walk through some of the most common bets available at legal Arkansas sportsbook apps, so you'll be ready to win!
Moneyline
Choose which team you think will be the winner of the game. It doesn't matter who's the favorite and who's the underdog; you just want to pick the team that is going to have the higher score at the final buzzer.
Totals
You'll see a predetermined point total, chosen by the sportsbook, and your job is to decide if you think the game will finish with a score that is over or under that total (that's why it's often referred to as "the over/under"). Let's say Arkansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are matched up in a college basketball game, and the line is 137.5 points. If the game ends with 140 points scored, then bettors who picked the over will win.
Point Spreads
Choose which team you think will win, just like with the moneyline, except now the definition of a win is slightly different. Instead of an outright win, you're looking to see if your team of choice can maintain a certain margin of victory or defeat. If Arkansas is a 9.5-point favorite over Arkansas State in football, and the Razorbacks only win by eight points, then they haven't covered the spread. Arkansas would've needed to win by 10 or more to be the winner based on this point spread. As for the Red Wolves, losing by eight probably isn't a great feeling ... but hey, at least they won against the spread.
Parlays
Parlays are just combinations of two or more wagers onto one bet slip. You can combine moneyline bets, point spread bets, point total bets and more. Some Arkansas online sports betting sites will even allow you to parlay multiple items from the same game. Every event in your parlay needs to succeed in order for your parlay to win, so there's more inherent risk than if you placed your bets individually. But with a higher risk, there's also a higher reward if your parlay hits.
Futures
Just like it sounds, a futures bet is a type of wager that settles sometime down the road. In most cases, that settlement is weeks or months away. The most common team futures relate to championships (e.g., next Super Bowl winner), while the most common player futures relate to awards (e.g., 2021-22 NBA MVP).
Prop Bets
Pick whether something will or won't occur, such as a score in the final two minutes of a football game. Some of the best and most creative props are on the player level, including anytime goal scorers in hockey and over/under lines for 3-pointers made in basketball.
Arkansas Sports Betting Tax
Any national operator entering the sports betting in Arkansas industry (e.g., DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM) is required to pay out 51% of its profits to the local casino it is partnered with. That's a massive chunk of the overall take, obviously, and it's unprecedented in terms of how all other legal sports betting states operate. Elsewhere, national betting sites negotiate privately with local casinos, and the profit share typically comes out to about 10-15%.
In November 2021, a spokesperson for the state's department of finance and administration reported that Arkansas had already collected almost $1.75 million in tax revenue in the two years since legalizing Arkansas sports betting.
Now, imagine the potential revenue growth when mobile Arkansas sports betting combines with retail sports betting. It's commonly understood that the Arkansas legal betting app market will account for the majority of customers, handle and profits. The potential for growth in this market is huge, and the tax dollars earned will go to where the state needs help most (the majority of betting revenue is being allocated to the state's general fund).
How is Sports Betting in Arkansas Regulated?
Sports betting in Arkansas is regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission, which is responsible for establishing and enforcing rules for retail and Arkansas online sports betting entities. The commission will also regulate the entry of sports betting app Arkansas products, and it was the governing body in charge of approving the controversial 51% profit-sharing rule.
Banking with Arkansas Sports Betting Sites
When banking with an Arkansas online sports betting site, it's important to feel safe and secure in your transactions. At the same time, you want to work with an AR sportsbook that provides a fair number of banking options, so you can move money with ease. When possible, using the same banking method to deposit and withdraw is preferred
How to deposit to an AR Sports Betting Site
Since bettors don't have Arkansas sports betting app access just yet, you'll still have to visit a retail casino/sportsbook to make a deposit. Eventually, customers will be able to deposit (and request withdrawals) from their mobile devices.
Having a big-brand credit or debit card (especially MasterCard or VISA) is the most common deposit method. But you'll also be able to use PayPal, Play+ cards, PayNearMe, ACH transfers, cash and physical checks. Deposits are usually completed within seconds, so you'll be ready to bet as soon as you're ready to pay.
How to Withdraw winnings from AR Betting Sites?
Though withdrawals are not processed as quickly as deposits, there are still some rather speedy options available (e.g., PayPal, Play+ cards). Another way to go is a bank transfer or retrieving cash from a retail sportsbook. If you prefer to have a check mailed to you, just know that that could lead to an extended wait time.
Responsible Arkansas Sports Betting
No matter which state you live in, you'll have access to the National Problem Gambling Helpline, as well as Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon. These are national resources that are intended to help gamblers everywhere. For Arkansas sports bettors specifically, the Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services another place to check out.
Retail sportsbooks in Arkansas have self-exclusion programs, which bettors can join voluntarily, and all licensed sports betting online Arkansas operators will be expected to allow limits on time spent on their apps, as well as limits on deposits and wagers.
Final Thoughts on Sports Betting in Arkansas
By the time March Madness hits its cumlmination, mobile sports betting in Arkansas should be underway. And it's exciting, isn't it? Mobile sportsbook access allows customers to place legal sports wagers from an Arkansas casino, but also from the comfort of their home. The next big question mark surrounds the presence of top notch national sportsbooks, such as DraftKings and Caesars. We don't know for sure when they'll enter the Arkansas sports betting market, but you can be sure that we'll be following that news closely for you as it unfolds.
Arkansas Online Sportsbook FAQs
Is Arkansas Sports Betting Legal?
Is sports betting legal in Arkansas? Absolutely! And it has been since 2019. The key distinction is that retail sports betting has been the only option for most of the state's legal betting history, though mobile is now legal too.
Are Online Sports Gambling Sites legal in Arkansas?
Yes, online sports gambling sites are legal in Arkansas as of March 4, 2022. While no AR sports betting apps launched on that important day, it at least opened the door for the mobile betting options that are on their way.
What is the legal age to bet on sports in Arkansas?
If you are 21 or older, you are legally eligible to bet on sports in Arkansas.
How is Arkansas betting regulated?
Does Arkansas have sports betting regulations? Of course! The Arkansas Racing Commission holds all responsibilities related to licensing, rules, issuance of fines, and approval of gaming plans.
Where can I bet at Arkansas sportsbooks?
You can currently bet at three retail Arkansas sportsbooks: Saracen Casino Resort (Pine Bluff), Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort (Hot Springs), and Southland Casino Racing (West Memphis). A fourth retail sportsbook, Legends Resort & Casino, is expected to be constructed in Pope County.
Will I need to be an Arkansas resident to bet online?
No, you won't need to be an Arkansas resident to bet online. You'll just have to be 21 or older and physically located within the state of Arkansas (for mobile sports bettors, keep your location services turned on when you're using a sports betting app).
To find more information mobile sports betting and online casino bonuses, you can check our Ontario sports betting and Ontario online casino bonus codes reviews.