Arkansas’ problem-gambling helpline received 4,520 calls in the first six months of 2026, a 22.5% increase from the same period a year earlier. Over the same stretch, statewide mobile sports betting handle reached $450.9 million, up 56% from the first half of 2025.
Vena Schexnayder, executive director of the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council in Little Rock, attributed the rise in calls to heavier gambling advertising and to the arrival of new operators in the spring. FanDuel and DraftKings began operating in Arkansas through partnerships with Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs and Southland Casino in West Memphis.
Arkansas voters approved sports betting in 2018. Until February 2022, every bet had to be placed on site at a casino before lawmakers allowed mobile betting through one of the state’s three casinos.
The new national brands launched on 20 March after the Arkansas Racing and Gaming Commission approved their vendor licences in February. April was the first full month both platforms were live, and Arkansas topped $100 million in handle for the first time in its history.
That month, FanDuel led the market with nearly $53 million in bets, while DraftKings was second with $35.6 million. Together, the two operators accounted for the vast majority of wagering activity in the state.
The first-half figures also reflected a reshaped market. Oaklawn’s online bets rose to nearly $53 million in April from $14 million a year earlier, while Saracen Casino’s proprietary BetSaracen platform fell to about $13.8 million from $26 million in April 2025.
