Best online sportsbook Arkansas sounds like it should be a wide field by now — mobile betting has run here since 2022. In practice it is a field of two national names, FanDuel and DraftKings, and they arrived on the exact same day: March 20, 2026. Understanding why they took four years to show up, and why a third app never needed them, says more about this market than a ranked list does.
FanDuel and DraftKings Launched on the Same Day
The Arkansas Racing Commission approved both operators' sports-wagering vendor licenses on February 26, 2026, and both apps went live on March 20, 2026. FanDuel took over Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort's in-house, Kambi-built skin in Hot Springs, rebranding it “Oaklawn Sports powered by FanDuel” even though the app stores list it simply as FanDuel Sportsbook. DraftKings took over Southland Casino Hotel's skin in West Memphis, which had run under the Betly brand since April 27, 2022 — Arkansas's first mobile sportsbook, period.
The 51% Rule That Kept Them Out
Arkansas requires a licensed casino partnering with an online sportsbook vendor to retain at least 51% of net sports-wagering revenue. Most states let the operator keep 85%-95% after a 5%-15% skin fee to the local gaming property. That math didn't work for DraftKings or FanDuel for four years, even as mobile betting went live around them in March 2022 through smaller, casino-run apps. Both finally accepted Arkansas's terms in 2026.
BetSaracen Never Needed a Rebrand
Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff has run its own skin, BetSaracen, since May 2022 — longer than FanDuel or DraftKings has operated under any name in this state. It is a real, licensed Arkansas sportsbook with no national brand attached and no plan announced to add one. SWRNN does not maintain a brand review for BetSaracen, so it sits outside this ranking, but a reader comparing options in Pine Bluff shouldn't read its absence here as a knock on the product.
Arkansas's three live sportsbook skins
- FanDuel: Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, Hot Springs (since March 20, 2026)
- DraftKings: Southland Casino Hotel, West Memphis (since March 20, 2026, formerly Betly)
- BetSaracen: Saracen Casino Resort, Pine Bluff (since May 2022, unranked)
Why There Isn't a Fourth Casino Coming
Arkansas's 2018 gaming amendment originally penciled in a fourth casino for Pope County, which would have meant up to two more sportsbook skins statewide. Voters killed that license directly: Issue 2 passed in November 2024, 55.78% to 44.22%, repealing the Pope County authorization and requiring any future casino license to win a countywide vote first. That caps Arkansas at three casinos — Oaklawn, Southland, and Saracen — and six sportsbook skins at the outside, three of which sit unused today.
None of this is a way to make money. Arkansas taxes sports-wagering revenue at 13% on a book's first $150 million a year and 20% above that, bettors must be 21 or older, and every dollar wagered here runs through the Arkansas Racing Commission's oversight — whichever of the three licensed apps a reader ends up choosing.
The short list
- 1. FanDuel — Oaklawn's rebranded skin, live since March 20, 2026
FanDuel is sold in the app stores simply as FanDuel Sportsbook, but inside Arkansas it operates as "Oaklawn Sports powered by FanDuel" — a rebrand of the racino's own Kambi-built app rather than a from-scratch launch. The Arkansas Racing Commission approved the vendor license on February 26, 2026, and it went live March 20, tied to Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs.
- 2. DraftKings — Southland's rebranded skin, live the same day as FanDuel
DraftKings launched in Arkansas on the identical date as FanDuel, March 20, 2026, after the same February 26 Racing Commission approval. It took over the online skin at Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis that had run since April 2022 under the Betly brand — the first mobile sportsbook Arkansas ever had. The rank order here is alphabetical, not a performance gap; there isn't one yet.
The honest verdict
FanDuel and DraftKings are tied for the top spot in Arkansas, and that is not a hedge — both apps went live on the same day, March 20, 2026, after the Arkansas Racing Commission approved them on February 26, 2026, and neither has a meaningful track record here yet that would separate one from the other. FanDuel operates as Oaklawn Sports powered by FanDuel, replacing the racino's in-house Kambi-built app; DraftKings took over Southland Casino Hotel's existing skin, previously branded Betly. Pick FanDuel if Oaklawn in Hot Springs is the property closer to home, DraftKings if it is Southland in West Memphis — the apps themselves run on the same regulatory terms. BetSaracen, tied to Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, is the honest third option: it has operated since May 2022 without ever swapping in a national brand, and it does not have a SWRNN review of its own, so it is not ranked here. None of this is a way to make money; it is 21-and-up entertainment under Arkansas Racing Commission oversight, with a 13%–20% state tax on every dollar the books keep.
Questions this list actually answers
What is the best online sportsbook in Arkansas?
FanDuel and DraftKings are tied — both launched in Arkansas on March 20, 2026, under the same Racing Commission approval, so there is no track record yet to separate them. FanDuel runs through Oaklawn Casino in Hot Springs; DraftKings runs through Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis. Pick based on which casino you already use, not a performance gap that does not exist yet.
Is online sports betting legal in Arkansas?
Yes. Arkansas voters approved Issue 4 (Amendment 100) on November 6, 2018, legalizing casino gaming and sports wagering at a handful of licensed casinos. Retail sportsbooks opened in 2019, and mobile wagering followed in March 2022 once the Arkansas Racing Commission adopted rules letting each licensed casino run up to two online skins.
Why did FanDuel and DraftKings take so long to reach Arkansas?
A revenue-sharing rule, not a legal fight. Arkansas requires a casino partnering with an online sportsbook vendor to keep at least 51% of net sports-wagering revenue, versus the 5%-15% skin fee national operators pay in most other states. Mobile betting had already run in Arkansas since April 2022 through smaller, casino-built apps before DraftKings and FanDuel judged the 51% split workable in 2026.
What happened to the fourth Arkansas casino and its sportsbook?
It died at the ballot box. Arkansas's 2018 amendment authorized a fourth casino in Pope County, which would have added up to two more sportsbook skins. Voters passed Issue 2 in November 2024 (55.78% to 44.22%), repealing that license outright and requiring any future casino to clear a countywide vote first. Arkansas is now capped at three casinos — Oaklawn, Southland, and Saracen — and six sportsbook skins at most.
Is BetSaracen worth using over FanDuel or DraftKings?
It is a legitimate licensed option, just not a nationally branded one. BetSaracen has run through Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff since May 2022, longer than either FanDuel or DraftKings has been in the state, and it never needed a brand swap. SWRNN does not have a review of BetSaracen itself, so it is not ranked here, but it is not a lesser or unregulated product than the two national apps.
Can Arkansas get more online sportsbooks in the future?
Only up to the existing ceiling. Oaklawn, Southland, and Saracen are each permitted two online skins; only one skin per casino is filled today (by FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetSaracen respectively), leaving room for three more under the current three-casino cap. A fourth casino — and the sportsbooks that would come with it — would need a new countywide vote under Issue 2's 2024 rules.