Best Arkansas Gambling Sites in 2024

Arkansas legalized retail betting in November 2018 and opened up to online sports betting in March 2022. Bettors in The Natural State can bet on all the major league sports leagues, and even bet on their local college teams.

There are some snags though, as Arkansas has a limited number of sportsbooks. The DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks, which are two powerhouses in the US betting industry, do not currently operate in Arkansas.

Arkansas Online Sports Betting

The betting sites in Arkansas all have retail locations, which is handy as you can always go in person to the sportsbook to resolve any disputes or ask your questions. The downside is that you do not have the same plethora of options at your disposal as you would in the neighboring states of Tennessee and Louisiana. Let’s look at the top picks for Arkansas bettors.

Though the top sportsbooks in the country are not available in Arkansas, this does not mean fans of FanDuel or DraftKings are completely cut off. Instead of the sportsbook, they can use the fantasy sports apps on either platform.

DraftKings Fantasy Arkansas

DraftKings Fantasy is free to sign up at, and you can pick between over 10 sports to create your fantasy lineups. DraftKings Fantasy covers NFL, NBA, NHL, Soccer, and many more. You can draft your lineups, pick your favorite players, and then enter weekly contests against friends or in public tournaments.

FanDuel Racing & Fantasy

FanDuel Fantasy welcomes players of all levels, from rookies to expert fantasy sports players. There are contests for beginners up to the veteran players who want to compete with the very best players in the country. It covers a wide range of sports, and bettors can enter amazing tournaments such as NFL Pickems or Survivor Pools.

Outstanding Arkansas Sweepstakes Casinos

The options for sports betting are quite limited in Arkansas, but gamers will face no shortage of action. We do have to point out that online casinos are strictly prohibited in Arkansas. There are no legal online casinos, and any that you do see are probably offshore casinos, which we highly recommend avoiding. Without any license or regulatory authority, offshore casinos are not obliged to pay you any winnings, so while some of the offers look good, remember that they are not safe to play at.

Instead, we would turn your attention to the amazing Arkansas Sweepstakes Casinos. What are these? They are basically casino-style platforms where you can play using virtual tokens or currencies. Instead of spinning your favorite slots or staking a round in Blackjack with real money, you would stake your bets with Gold Coins. You can pick up a batch of these coins through the no deposit welcome bonuses, for which you need no special bonus welcome code as they are included in our links. From then on, you can redeem daily login bonuses, frequent coin drops and many more boosts. Through your gameplay and signing up for promotional competitions, you can also win Sweepstakes Coins, which can then be exchanged either for real money prizes, special retail discounts or gift cards.

The games at Arkansas Sweepstakes Casinos are virtually the same as what you can find in any top online casino. There are all sorts of themed slots, classic 3-reel games and action packed slot machines with features that stay fun for hours on end. Cascading reels, Megaways, bonus spins, tumbling reels, multidirectional paylines, and bonus rounds with multipliers that can reach the sky. Keep your eyes peeled for classic games of blackjack, poker, craps, baccarat and roulette, or you can opt for variants of those traditional casino games. Beyond that, a world of fish table games, crash games, Slingo, Plinko, and loads of other arcade style games await.

Check out the games for yourself at the top Arkansas Sweepstakes Casinos.

Sports Betting in Arkansas Neighbor States

Though sports bettors can place bets at betting sites or retail locations, they do not have the same luxury of choice as sports fans from Tennessee and Louisiana. This may prompt some bettors to look to those states for their sports wagers. If you lived near Memphis, for example, then crossing that border would open a world of excellent betting opportunities. Sports bettors living in the South of Arkansas can seriously consider making the jump across to Louisiana, where there is a similarly wide range of sports betting sites to pick from.

The beauty is that you do not need to be a resident of TN or LA, as you can bet as a passerby in the state and place your bets. You will need to sign up to those betting sites, which will require personal details such as your contact information, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your SSN, but after that, you should be good to go.

Tennessee Sports Betting

Tennessee legalized online sports betting in 2020 and has a great number of the top US sportsbooks that operate in the state. Sure, you can use your Betly Sportsbook account to make your bets, but why would you when you can join up at some of these sportsbooks.

• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• BetMGM Sportsbook

It can all fit into your next visit to Memphis, and you can even catch the games at some local sports bars.

Louisiana Sports Betting

Louisiana legalized sports betting in Jan 2022 and has a whole load more options than Arkansas. Avid sports bettors can relish the online betting sites in Louisiana and snap up some pretty hefty welcome bonuses at these top US sports betting sites.

• BetMGM Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• BetRivers Sportsbook

History of Sports Betting in Arkansas

In November of 2018, Arkansas citizens voted to have gambling legalized in a state ballot. The Arkansas Racing Commission, which regulates all forms of gambling in Arkansas, issued sports betting licenses to three casinos. By 2022, the legislation was extended with the legalization of mobile sports betting. However, the Commission mandates that mobile betting sites and apps can only operate in Arkansas if they are partnered with one of the local casinos.

Taxation on Sports Betting in Arkansas

Just like many other states, sports bettors in Arkansas must pay tax on their winnings. The tax rate is 13% on all winnings within the first $150 million, and then 20% for any winnings beyond that sum. In comparison with the neighboring states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, the taxation is actually quite favorable. The online sports betting tax in Louisiana is 15% and in Tennessee, it is 20%. Retail betting tax in Mississippi is 12% and Louisiana is 10%. These are all the state taxes that you should be aware of, but remember that you should also pay federal taxes on your sports betting. To calculate the federal taxes on your winnings, you can use our betting tax calculator at GambleUSA.

Most Popular Sports in Arkansas

Arkansas does not have any major professional teams, so sports fans generally tend to support franchises from neighboring states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Football

Football is widely followed in Arkansas. Most NFL fans in Arkansas support the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, though their halcyon days seem so long ago. They dominated the NFL since the NFC-AFC merger in 1970, appearing in 5 Super Bowls during the 70s and winning two. They then had another period of dominance in the early to mid 90s, when they won three more Super Bowls. In recent years they have been a bit tricky to predict. Sometimes they look ready to take on the challenge and charge through to the playoffs, only to lose in the Wild Card playoffs or Divisional playoffs. Other years they do not make the playoffs at all, further disappointing their faithful supporters.

Not all Arkansas support the Cowboys. The other popular teams in the region are the Kansas City Chiefs, Texas Titans and New Orleans Saints. Arkansas college football teams are also extremely popular and attract masses of viewers. Arkansas is home to historic collegiate football teams with deeply rooted fanbases.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Football is massive at the University of Arkansas, which has fielded football teams since 1894. The Razorbacks’ football team plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They have big rivalries with Ole Miss (MI), the LSU Tigers (LA), the Texas Longhorns (TX) and the Missouri Tigers (MO). The football team plays in the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas State Red Wolves

The Arkansas State University also plays in the FBS of the NCAAF, and plays in the Centennial Bank Stadium. The team has age-old rivalries with the Memphis Tigers, which started in 1914. It is always exciting to watch the Red Wolves, as a lot of their players go on to play in the NFL or CFL.

Basketball

The Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder are the two most popular basketball teams in Arkansas.

It is a thrilling time to be a fan of the Grizzlies, as the team won the Southwest Division for two years in a row between 2022 and 2023. Going forward, they look set to reach the latter phases of the NBA Playoffs. The Grizzlies play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference, against the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs. Though the team has never won an NBA Championship, but under coach Taylor Jenkins, the improvement is palpable.

Oklahoma City Thunder on the other hand, have won the NBA Championship. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, alongside the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers. The team won the NBA Finals in 1979 and 1996, when it still played in the Pacific Division. Since moving to the Northwest Division in 2004, they have reached the NBA Finals only once, but lost to Miami Heat. The team has dropped in the rankings since then and now struggles to make the playoffs. Still, the Oklahoma City Thunder still have a big fanbase and some highly promising prospects in their team and may climb up the rankings sooner than later.

Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks have a top college basketball team, that plays in the NCAAB tournament and have made the NCAAB Final Four six times. They are definitely one to watch when March Madness comes around, and the team has produced some excellent talents. Sidney Moncrief, Corliss Williamson, Darrell Walker and Bobby Portis Jr are just some of the top NBA players who donned the iconic red and white colors of the Razorbacks.

Baseball

The St Louis Cardinals are the most popular MLB team in Arkansas by some measure. The team is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and plays in the Central Division of the National League. They have won 11 World Series, the last of which came in 2011. The Cardinals have massive rivalries with the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. Many excellent baseball players have played for the Cardinals including Bob Gibson, Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith and Adam Wainwright.

Hockey

The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars are the teams most NHL fans in Arkansas support. The St. Louis Blues have enjoyed their fair share of success, winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 and clinching 10 Division championships. They play in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The Dallas Stars play in the same Division, and battle against the St. Louis Blues to finish in the top three and secure a valuable place in the playoffs. The Stars have won 1 Stanley Cup, though their victory came in 1999. The hockey betting scene in Arkansas is highly passionate and dramatic.

How to Register at an Arkansas Sports Betting Site

To start betting online in Arkansas, you will need to sign up at a Sportsbook. This can be done through your cell phone or desktop, whichever you feel more comfortable with using, and only takes up a few minutes.

When creating your account, you will need to submit a username and a password, which you can use from then on to sign into and manage your betting account. You also need to submit a few personal details on registration and identity-verifying documents. This is needed so that the sportsbook can verify your age and check whether you are eligible to sign up for sports betting or not. Once you have accepted the terms and conditions, your account will be finalized and you can make a deposit and start making your first bets.

Analysis of Betting Markets

Having a large assortment of betting markets is always beneficial, as you can always look for better deals. First things first, you should know how all of the bets work. In most cases, the bets are very straightforward, such as will a game end with an even or odd number of points (yes/no).

The betting markets on offer are not difficult to understand, but some of the betting terminology may be new to beginners. To get up to date with all the betting terms and phrases, here we have listed some of the most popular betting markets out there.

Moneyline

A moneyline is a bet on the full time result of a single game. Be aware that for games in which there is the possibility of overtime (football, basketball, hockey), the moneyline bets usually include overtime, unless it specifically says it doesn’t.

So what is a moneyline exactly? Basically it is a bet on which team will win a game. In an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, you can bet on either the Cowboys or the Chiefs to win. You win your bet if your team wins the game, whether that is in normal regulation time or overtime.

Point Spread

A point spread is like a moneyline, in which you bet on a team to win a game, but it uses a betting line to give both teams an equal chance of winning. This betting line is a number of points that is added to the underdog’s score or subtracted from the favorite’s score. The sportsbook comes up with the number by assessing statistics and game data, and determines a number of points that makes the difference between two teams.

Take an NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. The sportsbook determines that the Grizzlies are the favorites and that the difference in quality between the two teams is 6.5 points. If you bet on the Grizzlies to win, they will have a point deficit of -6.5 to overcome, and so they must beat the Mavericks by 7 points or more. Betting on the Mavericks, on the other hand, will give the Mavericks a boost of +6.5 points. That +6.5 points is added to the Maverick’s score at the end of the game, and with the score adjustment, they should win the game for your bet to win.

Point spreads are widely popular as you can win almost double your original stake. It does not matter whether you pick the favorite or the underdog, the odds on either will be -110 or thereabouts. This may not make a colossal difference with one game, but it can make a massive difference with parlay bets. To test it out, try combining 5 moneylines on favorites into one parlay, and then try the same with point spreads on favorites.

Totals

Over/under totals are bets where you have to predict how many points or goals will be scored in a game. You do not need to bet on the exact number of points scored, as for an NBA game it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Instead, the sportsbook gives you a betting line, and bets for over and under that line. Through the game data available, the sportsbook calculates the betting line with its algorithms, and usually, the odds on over and under are around -110.

Halves/Periods/Quarters

These half time bets and other betting categories relate to specific periods in a game. For each period, you can place moneylines, point spreads, totals and other types of bets as if the period was a game in itself. The results in the other periods do not count into the specific period you bet on, and the scoreline does not carry on into your period from the previous periods (if there were any).

In NFL and NBA games, you can bet on the individual quarters or halves. In NHL games, there are betting markets for each of the three periods.

Game Props

Game props can relate to all sorts of details or game stats. There can be props that relate to points, such as touchdowns, passing yards and field goals in NFL. In NBA there may be point props such as three pointers, race to X points, team total points and so on. DraftKings is the king of game props, with one of the best catalogs of alternative betting markets. Whether you want to bet on NFL, MLS, NBA, NHL, MLB or any other popular US sports competition, you will find no shortage of game props to spice your wagers with.

Parlays

We mentioned parlays before, and they are essential to any bettor, from beginners up to seasoned pros. These are combination bets where you can pick several single bets and put them together into one big bet. The odds are compounded against each other, so you can really swing for the fences with your wager. With parlays though, you need all your selections to come through to win your bet.

What To Consider When Betting

Betting can heighten the excitement of any sports event, especially with big stakes. Winning a big bet or an intricate parlay with all sorts of game props is always a thrill, though you should always be ready for a loss. If you want to bet regularly, say on every week of NFL or NBA action, then it is best to come prepared. You can do this by managing your bankroll, exploring new betting markets, and keeping track of your betting.

Control Your Bankroll

Even if you are planning to spend $10 a week or less, you can benefit greatly with some basic bankroll strategies. The top Arkansas betting sites provide bettors with tools that can control their spending limits, so that they never pump in more money than they can afford to lose.

Setting a budget is only the start of it. If you are planning to make your betting profitable, then you will have to approach your bets with a lot more patience. Plan on making your profit in the long run, and there will be some losing streaks or big losses along the way. There are many ways to do this. Some bettors may take the longshot parlays each week, and are counting on winning once every month to make their profit. Others may stretch out their funds and allocate them to several single bets or parlays, so that they have the “safer” options that will hopefully bring back their money, and the longshot bets with which they hope to shoot for the stars. There is no right or wrong way, but by trying out a few different strategies you can find out what works best for you.

Use Bonuses and Offers

To make the most of your bankroll and betting, you should always keep your ear to the ground when it comes to sportsbook bonuses. They can come in the form of deposit bonuses, bonus bets, odds boosts or even thrilling social contests.

DraftKings and FanDuel’s fantasy apps both have a ton of contests that you can take advantage of, with tremendous prizes. It is always fun to take part in these contests, and you can look out for big tournaments against the very best Fantasy players in the country. A solid lineup and a string of good performances can go a long way.

Do Your Homework

Checking all game statistics and the past performances of the teams involved is a great way to get ahead with your betting. Right off the bat, here are some things you can look into before placing your bets.

Home/away record

• Past 5 games
• Head to head record
• Player injuries
• Position in Division (or league)

Research does not only help in picking a moneyline bet. There are lots of other aspects of a game that you can research and you may find better options than the moneyline. For example, you can look at the defensive and attacking records of either team, and that may open opportunities to bet on total points, first quarter betting markets, race to X points, and further props that relate to props.

The disciplinary record of a team could also be worth researching, especially for soccer games in which you may find totals bets that relate to fouls, yellow cards and red cards.

Experiment With New Betting Markets

It is always good to mix up your bets by trying different types of betting markets. If you feel a bit uninspired with the odds provided on the moneylines or with the betting lines in the point spreads and totals bets, then don’t worry. Instead of sticking with the same bets, why not see if you can find better odds and deals in the halves/quarters markets, game props, scoring props and other types of bets.

You do not have to go with props and period bets all the time, but having the option is always useful.