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A prominent senator in Arkansas indicates that it is improbable that lawmakers would sanction a bill this year to allow online casino gaming.
In March 2025, state Senator Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, texted <a href="https://www.gambling.com/us/online-casinos" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Gambling.com</a> that there is “no chance” House Bill 1861, concerning internet casino gaming, will garner legislative backing. Hester serves as the Senate president pro tempore and is a member of many committees in the upper house, including the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Hester stated that the legislation to authorize internet casino gaming, referred to as iGaming, will be “vigorously” contested by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin. This renders the bill’s passage “impossible” in the Legislature. Hester stated that it would be challenging to obtain sufficient parliamentary support for its enactment via both houses.
 The State of iGaming in Arkansas
Online casino gambling enables bettors to utilize smartphones and computers to engage in typical casino games such as slots and craps for real money. It is permissible in eight states, excluding Arkansas and its neighboring states. Online sports betting is, nevertheless, permitted in Arkansas. The state’s three physical casinos provide sports betting applications under their own brands for statewide use.
Pine Bluff’s Saracen Casino Resort, Hot Springs’ Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, and West Memphis’ Southland Casino Hotel are the three casinos in Arkansas that hold valid licenses. Oaklawn offers an application for gamblers wishing to place wagers on horse races.
 Offshore iGaming 
Carlton Saffa, Saracen’s Chief Marketing Officer, has led the initiative to legalize <a href="https://next.io/news/regulation/arkansas-igaming-legalisation-discussion-over/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">iGaming in Arkansas</a> while also prohibiting untaxed, unregulated sweepstakes casinos.
“Unregulated online gaming is rampant across the U.S. and Arkansas,” Saffa discussed with Gambling.com’s reporters. “Most are offshore, and many are directly linked to China.”
Saffa stated that the volume of internet gambling in Arkansas will diminish under the proposed legislation to prohibit uncontrolled sweepstakes casinos while restricting online games to licensed resorts.
“We are constraining the number of parties that can participate by regulating it, limiting it, and creating felony provisions for bad actors,” Saffa added.
A corresponding Senate measure recently submitted with HB1861 has been withdrawn. Hester stated that the bill’s sponsor perceived the legislation as aimed at limiting China’s influence. Hester stated that the sponsor “was not cognizant of the iGaming segment.”
The Social and Promotional Games Association has just released a statement denouncing iGaming laws in Arkansas.
“The SPGA urges Arkansas lawmakers to reject this broad, punitive legislation and instead engage with stakeholders to create a balanced, informed policy.”
How does the Arkansas bill rejection create a legislative roadblock? 
Online casino gaming yields superior profit margins compared to conventional sportsbooks and provides continuous gaming availability throughout the year, in contrast to seasonally reliant bookmakers. This prompted national operators to advocate for increased legalization, but with minimal success.
Only seven states provide legally sanctioned real-money online casinos, and only four states—New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan—possess more than two licensed operators.
Online casinos have demonstrated significantly lower political popularity throughout the United States compared to <a href="https://www.covers.com/industry/arkansas-online-casino-bill-stalls-out-apr-1-2025" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">regulated sportsbooks</a>. Thirty-nine states have sanctioned at least one legal book, with thirty-one permitting statewide mobile carriers.
The divide between online and brick-and-mortar casinos
Online casinos have also fragmented the brick-and-mortar casino sector in Arkansas and across the nation. Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff supported the iGaming legislation, whilst Oklawana Casino in Hot Springs opposed it.
Entities such as the Cordish Group, which manages casinos across many states, contend that these internet alternatives displace employment opportunities from physical establishments. Cordish manages a real-money iGaming platform in Pennsylvania.
Other regional casino operators, such as PENN Entertainment, which provides an iGaming platform in three states, also exhibit ambivalent views on iGaming. In a recent corporate earnings call, PENN CEO Jay Snowden stated that internet casino games are suitable in certain jurisdictions but should not be permitted in others with centralized brick-and-mortar gambling establishments, such as Colorado, where the business has a casino.
FanDuel and DraftKings are prominent advocates, with around 75% of the national U.S. online sports betting market share by handle. Other prominent national “destination casino” companies with substantial presences in Las Vegas, like Caesars and MGM, also advocate for the growth of iGaming.
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Online Casino Legislation Hits Roadblock – Will It Stall Sector-Wide Growth?

WalletInvestor

Other articles published on Jul 7, 2025

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