Arkansas Sportsbooks Numbers Drop in February But Casino Gaming Up

Arkansas Sportsbooks Numbers Drop in February But Casino Gaming Up
Fact Checked by Jim Tomlin

Arkansas gambling operators saw month-to-month increases in casino play and revenue in February, but there were declines for Arkansas sportsbooks compared to January.

February’s handle at the three Arkansas casinos combined was $633.3 million, up 5.6% from January (nearly $600 million).

February’s casino revenue (net win) was $49.56 million, up 9.0% from $45.47 million in the Arkansas January casino revenue report.

Arkansas Sports Betting Down

Meanwhile, February’s total sports betting handle was $29.5 million, down 10.4% from January (nearly $33 million).

The state does not have major national operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings or BetMGM that would offer Arkansas sportsbook promo codes. Those companies have steered clear of The Natural State so far because of a law that stipulates operators share half of their revenue with casinos. That rate is much lower in most states.

Arkansas Sports Betting, February vs. January

Total handle Mobile handleRevenue
February $29.532M $24.858M $1.710M
January $32.976M $26.139M $2.868M
Change Down 10.4% Down 4.9% Down 40.4%

Online Sports Betting Prevalent

Of the total sports wagering handle, about $24.86 million, or 84%, was in online betting. That mobile sports betting handle was down 4.9% from January ($26.134 million).

The February overall sports betting net win was nearly $1.71 million, down 40.4% from January (about $2.87 million). Looking at just mobile sports betting in February, the net win was about $1.35 million, down 38% from January ($2.17 million).

This is a big time for college basketball betting with the NCAA Basketball Tournament going on, so March should see sports betting numbers bounce upward from February. Arkansas aims for its third straight Elite Eight appearance when the Razorback men face Connecticut tonight (6:15 Central, CBS) in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Author

Bill Ordine was a reporter and editor in news and sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun for 25 years, and was a lead reporter on a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. Bill started reporting on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for 10 years. He covered the World Series of Poker for a decade and his articles on gaming have appeared in many major U.S. newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald and others.

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