- Saracen Casino Resort seeks approval for an iGaming app that would allow Arkansas residents to play slots, blackjack, craps, and other casino games online.
- Carlton Saffa, chief market officer at Saracen, estimates the online casino gambling expansion will add $12 million in annual tax revenue.
- Arkansas would be the first state in its region to regulate iGaming.
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The leading Arkansas casino and sports betting operator seeks approval for an iGaming app that would allow people in the state to play casino games online. If successful, players in Arkansas would gain access to online gambling favorites like slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, and more from their mobile devices.
Saracen Casino’s Chief Market Officer, Carlton Saffa, proposed a rule change to the Arkansas Racing Commission that would allow iGaming, aka online casino gambling, in Arkansas. The estimated $12 million in annual tax revenue gives the Commission reason to consider expanding online gambling in Arkansas with an app.
Could Arkansas Approve iGaming Expansion?
Saffa’s request is backed by a legitimate outline on how to get it done. The state already allows online poker and that rule can easily be amended to include other forms of online casino gambling.
Saffa reportedly stated that "A solution exists by amending ARC Rule 5, which already authorizes online poker, to include other types of table games and slots. Doing so would provide significant tax revenue to government, and, just as important, ensure that operators be held accountable by the government. Given that we have seen online operators in the fantasy sports space ignore cease and desist demands from the state, merely attempting to police the matter is not a workable solution," according to Gambling.com as cited by THV11 in Arkansas.
This could cause a massive domino effect, as the only other states with legal online gambling for casinos are Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. All these states are in the northeast of the United States, potentially making Arkansas the first state in the southern region of the U.S. to regulate iGaming.