Arkansas has regulated certain forms of gambling such as pari-mutuel betting and lottery gaming. The state also approved the introduction of certain electronic games on its race tracks in 2009, but it has not legalized and regulated online gambling.

• Legalized Gambling In Arkansas
• Gambling Cities In Arkansas
• Sports Gambling In Arkansas

Guide to Arkansas casinos, poker rooms and Arkansas race tracks including pictures, driving map, casino hotel discounts, information on slot machines, blackjack, craps and poker plus casino. Read our detailed review of the Natural State´s gambling legislation for information about the legality of playing online poker for real money in Arkansas. Looking for gambling sites legal in Arkansas? This page has them plus discusses online gambling laws in AR. See where it is legal to gamble online in Arkansas for all forms of gambling here.

This page provides a brief overview of gambling laws in Arkansas with special reference to online gambling. We also inform Arkansas residents how they can play legally at a number of legal online gambling sites. We have also listed out the best and the safest online gambling sites for Arkansas residents.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Arkansas?

In 2009, Arkansas made changes to its gambling laws, as a result of which Arkansas’ existing gambling laws can be said to apply to online gambling. The state permitted the introduction of certain electronic games at race tracks and included provisions that made it illegal for players to wager on these games if they were not physically present at the race track.

However, no law in Arkansas specifically states that it is illegal for residents to play online casino and poker games for real money at offshore online gambling sites. The state does have a transmission law that makes the transfer of gambling information illegal, but this applies more to operators of online gambling sites, not individual players. It is worth noting that the state has so far not prosecuted any resident for playing real money games online.

Arkansas Gambling Laws And Statutes

Arkansas has regulated certain forms of gambling and deals strictly against players who gamble at venues not licensed and approved by the state.

The gambling laws in Arkansas do not specifically define the terms “gamble” and “gambling,” but it does specifically state that placing bets on the outcome of games is illegal. While the state is lenient towards erring players, it uses its laws to crack down severely on erring operators who run illegal gambling outfits within its jurisdiction.

The average gambler in Arkansas can use legalized pari-mutuel betting facilities and place bets on dog and horse racing and play lottery games. The state has not legalized lottery gambling, but has authorized certain forms of charity gambling.

Other Interesting Articles: Online Gambling Laws In The United States

Legal Online Gambling Sites for Arkansas Residents

Owing to the lack of specific online gambling laws in Arkansas, residents are free to register at legal offshore online gambling sites, which operate from remote locations and are licensed in a remote gambling jurisdiction. On this page, we have listed out the best and most secure online poker rooms, online sports betting sites, and online casinos for Arkansas players.

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The reason why Bovada is a legal online gambling site is because they are established out of the country and therefore state and federal regulations do not apply to them. It is perfectly legal to place bets on an overseas betting site if you live in Arkansas. No one has ever gotten into any type of trouble for wagering on online betting sites. Canada holds Bovada to the same standard business practices as any other business, so Bovada is a regulated, responsible and reputable online gambling site that all Arkansas residents can enjoy worry-free. Signup Now!

Are Online Casinos Legal In Arkansas?

Although Arkansas does not have any legal casino gaming options, offline or online, players are free to register at legal offshore online casinos that do not operate in Arkansas, but are willing to accept Arkansas residents. We have listed the best online casinos for Arkansas citizens, and you can rest assured that these online casinos offer an excellent portfolio, great customer care, and generous bonuses.

Online Casinos That Welcome Arkansas Residents

Several online casinos accept Arkansas residents. The online casinos we have listed here are all licensed in remote gambling jurisdictions and do not violate Arkansas gambling laws in any way. They accept payments via methods convenient to Arkansas players, process payouts quickly, and offer the ultimate online casino gaming experience.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Arkansas?

Sports betting is not legal in Arkansas although the state offers pari-mutuel betting facilities. The state lacks online sports betting laws, but cannot prosecute residents who join offshore online sports betting sites.

Legal Sports Betting Sites That Accept Arkansas Residents

The online sports betting sites we have listed here are all licensed and give top priority to responsible gambling, fair play, and customer satisfaction. Each online sportsbook offers Arkansas players great bonuses, excellent betting odds, and even special features such as informative blogs and in-play betting.

More Useful Pages About Legal Sports Betting In The USA:

Is Online Poker Legal in Arkansas?

Arkansas does not offer any online poker options; besides, the state lacks online poker laws. However, no law in Arkansas has any power against residents who register at offshore online poker sites.

Poker Sites That Accept Arkansas Residents

The online poker rooms we have listed here are the best for Arkansas residents in terms of licensing, bonuses, and software. Players can build a plump bankroll or even kick start a lucrative poker career by playing free poker, claiming bonuses, interacting with pros, and learning new strategies at these online poker rooms.

Legalized Gambling In Arkansas

Land Based Gambling in Arkansas

Arkansas does not offer any casino gaming options to its residents. Gamblers in Arkansas can make use of pari-mutuel betting facilities and wager on the outcomes of horse racing and dog racing events.

Players who want to play some electronic games for real money can do so legally at Hot Springs, which belongs to the Oaklawn Jockey Club, and Southland Greyhound Park, which is located in West Memphis. The horse racing season in Arkansas generates a lot of betting activities, which leads to a lot of excitement. But this is not enough for gambling enthusiasts in Arkansas.

Closing Thoughts About Legal Online Gambling For Arkansas Residents

Arkansas is not the ideal state for gambling enthusiasts. Besides some legalized pari-mutuel betting facilities and the state lottery, Arkansas has nothing to offer residents who crave high-stakes gambling and sports betting. The only way left for Arkansas residents is to register at offshore online gambling sites, and they can rest assured that it isn’t against the state’s laws to do so.

An Overview of Gambling Laws in the State Of Arkansas

When you look at the history of Arkansas in relation to gambling, it really makes you think about what could have been. Everything was in place for the complexes at Hot Springs to rival Las Vegas or Atlantic City as world class US gambling hub. Instead this State went in the opposite direction, banning virtually all forms of gambling for residents. There are two casino complexes nowadays, and a few bingo halls. This page gives you a detailed overview of the current gambling laws in the State of Arkansas.

You’ll find a fast-paced walk through the colorful history of gambling in Arkansas first below. Much of this involves Hot Springs and the Mob. After that there is a game-by-game overview of what kinds of gambling are permitted in this state – followed by a timeline and details of the legislation which affects gamblers today. At the end of this page you will find a summary and a look towards the future.

Arkansas Gambling Laws – A Brief History

Hot Springs, a federally protected reserve in Arkansas has a gambling history which ran from just after the Civil war right through to modern times. There are reports of gangsters fighting for control of the liquor and gambling in this town as far back as 1880. In the early 1900’s baseball training camps and tourism had seen this town expand – and the Oakland racetrack was a regular attraction.

By the late 1920’s Hot Springs had become a gambling hub, with 10 major and many minor casinos it was even bigger than Las Vegas at this time. This continued right through to 1947, when a grand jury indicted several of the major casino owners. This was the start of a lot of legal and regulatory issues for Hot Springs, who were caught up in the changing political mood of the post-war years.

Finally, gambling in Hot Springs was shut down in 1967, it would be almost 40 years before any forms of gambling would become legal again. While the conservative members of the political divide will be pleased to see gambling ended in this way -progressive and neutral observers will look at the billions in tax revenues generated by Las Vegas and Atlantic City and think about what could have been for Hot Springs had the political mood been different.

More recently, skill games have been given an exemption – as have charity gambling games including Bingo and raffles. There is now a legal State lottery too.

While gambling is completely illegal under the Arkansas State codes, the penalties look the same as they were in the 1960’s. If convicted you face a ‘heavy’ fine of between $10 and $25 for most gambling offenses.

Arkansas Gambling Laws – What Forms of Gambling Are Currently Legal

Casino Games: No, there are a few ‘games of skill’ which are quasi-casino games at both the Oaklawn Park racetrack and Southlands Racetrack loosely based on Blackjack and Video Poker. Hot Springs, where Oaklawn is situated had the potential to be as big as Las Vegas at one point in its history. Today AK residents need to cross into Mississippi to find real casino table games and slots.

Online Casino Gambling: No, Online gambling is not explicitly banned under the Statutes – though considered illegal under current general guidelines.

Live Poker: Yes, though limited to the Southlands racetrack, they have just 6 tables that cover cash games and tournaments. Poker home games are not allowed in Arkansas, though the State code does indicate that the maximum fine for gambling is only $25.

Online Poker: No, there is no regulation or moves towards this at the moment. Like most states the AR code does not explicitly ban online poker, though it is assumed that their blanket ban on games of chance for money does encompass this.

Sports Betting: Yes, only legal at the tracks, where bets are Pari-Mutuel and based on greyhound and horse racing only.

Lottery: Yes, Arkansas run a ‘scholarship lottery’ which includes several different draws as well as scratch-card type games. The profit from this lottery is used to offer college scholarship to talented students who might not otherwise have been able to afford them.

Bingo Games: Yes, there are bingo halls in this State, these are regulated under the ‘Charitable Gambling’ legislation which covers both bingo and raffles for non-profit organizations.

Arkansas Gambling Laws – Timeline of Key Statutes

Here are the key laws which govern gambling in AR. For this State they center on the 1967 law. The main statutes covering gambling make a clear distinction between individuals gambling and those running gambling houses or organizing the events (or owning gambling machines). The core offense involves betting, which includes both ‘hazard or skill’:

If a person bets any money or any valuable thing on any game of hazard or skill, upon conviction he or she is guilty of a violation and shall be fined in any sum not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00). (From: 5-66-113)

There is no explicit reference in the Arkansas law to gambling online. This is common as the laws pre-date the internet. It is assumed that the current laws cover this, though there has been no legal test of this assumption to date. With the track-record of banning almost all forms of gambling, the status-quo is presumably preferable to a test case which is likely to yield negative results.

Note that unlike in the legislation of other states, there is no distinction between games where the house makes a profit and social games. This is one of the few States where home poker games are against the law.

Timeline of gambling legislation:

1967: Current laws enacted, Hot Springs gambling finally closed down, though the heyday was already passed for this town by this point.

2005: The ‘Games of Skill’ legislation enabled expanded gaming opportunities at the major racetracks – that now have 100’s of machines each. Act 1151 of 2005 put into place a regulation framework which covered electronic games based on skill – which has lead the racetracks to come up with innovative live dealer + electronic screen hybrids.

2007: There were carve-outs for charitable gambling games in the ‘Charitable Bingo and Raffles Enabling Act (2007 number 338). There a strict licensing rules in Arkansas for these games, as well as strict definitions – here is their definition of bingo:

[su_quote]“”Game of bingo” includes only a game in which the winner receives a preannounced, fixed-dollar prize and in which the winner is determined by the matching of letters and numbers on a bingo face imprinted with at least twenty-four (24) numbers, with letters and numbers appearing on objects randomly drawn and announced by a caller, in contemporaneous competition among all players in the game;”[/su_quote]

2009: Lottery begins, after becoming legal one year earlier, this is known as the ‘scholarship’ lottery and the funds go to subsidize education.

Arkansas Gambling Laws – Summary and Look into the Future

The ‘what could have been’ story with Hot Springs makes fascinating reading, with colorful mob characters that belonged to that era. Nowadays, this state are progressively allowing more gambling for their citizens. Charity and Skill gaming make a good starting point, with the increased tax revenues from these games likely to be filtering through to State budgets soon – there may be an appetite for further relaxing of the rules.

Based on their history of legislating gambling, I can’t see Arkansas regulating gambling online any time soon. In the meantime, the liberal gambling laws of neighboring Mississippi will continue to be a big draw.

Useful Resources:

General Overview from State Site

Charitable Gaming Laws

Gambling Cities In Arkansas

Oaklawn Site

Games of Skill Legislation

Hot Springs History

Searchable Code of AR Legislation

Sports Gambling In Arkansas

Legislation at US-Gambling Law