Arkansas Senate Could Legalize Online Casinos

Key Points of HB 1861

After sports betting was legalized in Arkansas in 2022, local legislators made no efforts to legalize other virtual games. In March of this year, Senator Bryan King proposed amending the state constitution and then, along with 14 colleagues, introduced a bill that would legalize online casinos.

On March 19, 2025, Arkansas Representative Matt Duffield introduced HB 1861 to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

The bill has four points:

1. Three brick-and-mortar casinos operating in the state could legally open online gambling sites.
2. Operating unlicensed casinos would be considered a Class D felony (a $10,000 fine and up to six years in prison).
3. A new lottery would be created to fund student scholarships for athletes at the University of Arkansas.
4. The list of illegal casinos would include sites that use the sweepstakes model with two types of virtual currencies.

This last initiative is very popular among individual legislators in other US states. After New Jersey, sweepstakes casinos could be banned by New York, Florida, or Maryland legislatures.

Regarding Arkansas casino representatives, two have publicly commented on the bill. Carlton Saffa, Marketing Executive at Saracen Casino Resort, said he fully supports the initiative, while his colleague at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort is against it.

When could legal gambling sites open in Arkansas?

Considering the current legislative session ends April 11, this is the time available for HB 1861 to be discussed.

Both houses of the state legislature could pass the bill, but Governor Sarah Huckabee could sign it only in the second half of summer if opponents don't form a majority and block it.

Based on past experience, the passage of a law doesn't immediately translate into the opening of legal gambling sites.

Therefore, negotiations between Arkansas live casinos and major US gaming houses will only begin in 2026. After that, we could expect the first legal online casinos in the state in no less than a year and a half.

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