Arkansas casino and sports betting to be voted on by public

The proposal will allow land-based casino gaming to take place at a horseracing track in Oaklawn and greyhound track in West Memphis, as well as allowing two new land-based venues to be established, one in Pope County and the other in Jefferson County.

The proposal also gives rise to the possibility of sports betting becoming legal in the state, suggesting that sports wagers fall within the realms of casino gaming.

The vote will take place on 8 November as part of the state’s general elections.

The proposal was brought forward by the advocacy group, Driving Arkansas Forward, with the support of Oklahoma’s Cherokee and Quapaw tribes.

In July, the group was given a 30-day extension to secure 84,859 signatures in support of the proposal,  after it was found that only 70,054 of the 94,880 signatures were valid.

According to The Associated Press, the group was able secure 99,988 valid signatures this time around.

If successful, license fees would be set at higher than $250,000 per venue and the Arkansas Racing Commission would be responsible for regulating casinos and sports betting.

Stay updated with GI

Follow Gambling Insider for independent news, analysis and industry expertise.

Add as a preferred source on Google

Jake Patel

Gambling Writer

Jake Patel is a journalist and content writer who began his media career as an Editorial Intern at Gambling Insider from June to September 2018. During his internship, he pitched, researched and wrote news stories for the publication’s website, contributing daily coverage on industry developments across the global gambling and iGaming sector.

Jake also produced editorial content for several of the brand’s print titles — including Gambling Insider, Tribal Focus Magazine, Trafficology and US Gaming Focus. His work involved conducting interviews with industry professionals, supporting feature creation, and assisting with editorial content commissioned for advertising partners.

Visit Profile