Are online casinos in Arkansas legal?
As we stated in the opening line of this article, no – online gambling is not currently legal in Arkansas. Neither online casinos nor mobile sports wagering are permitted in the state. However, there has been some progress with regard to land-based gambling.
While a small number of casino games were previously legal, a vote in 2018 permitted the state’s two land-based racinos to become fully-fledged casinos. Additionally, they were both given licenses to offer in-person sports wagering. On top of that, there is now a third retail casino site with another one on the way very soon.
Land-based casinos in Arkansas
Historically, Arkansas only had two land-based casinos, both of which began life as race tracks and are still open to this day. Furthermore, both have been expanded to become resorts with hotels. The Oaklawn Racing Casino resort is located in the popular tourist town of Hot Springs. Meanwhile, the Southland Casino Hotel can be found in West Memphis. These two long-standing institutions were joined in 2019 by the Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff.
Arkansas casino history
Arkansas prohibited all forms of gambling in the late 19th century. From there we have little worth reporting until we reach 2005, when the state’s two racetracks, Oaklawn Park and Southland, were permitted to house slot machines and adopted the status of being racinos.
The big change came in 2018 when, as we said above, in-person sports wagering was legalized as well as most other forms of casino gambling. Following the implementation of this new gambling bill, both existing racinos were expanded to include retail sports betting, playing tables, and hotels. On top of that, the third casino resort opened a year later.
What does the future hold for Arkansas online casinos?
We never like to speculate too much. And we're not about to promise you that online casinos, or online sports betting for that matter, are going to come to Arkansas anytime soon. However, the introduction of legal in-person sports wagering and an expansion of the legal forms of casino gambling were definitely encouraging. It would appear that the next step would be to legalize some forms of online gambling. At this point though, we simply cannot tell you exactly how long it will be until we see the best US online casinos launch in the Natural State. Thankfully, we are about to detail some great social and sweepstakes casino alternatives for you.
Arkansas casino sites - The best alternatives to real money gambling
Real money gambling online might remain illegal, but that doesn't mean that online casinos are. Sweepstakes and social casinos offer two of the best alternatives to online gambling sites. What’s more, they are both completely legal in the state of Arkansas. With that in mind, let's take a deeper dive into these two concepts and see what's available.
Arkansas social casinos
If you don't care about the money and you just want to have some fun, then social casinos could be a great option for you. Even if you are merely looking for a place to play without risking real money, social casinos provide a great go-to. These types of online casinos can be played completely free using virtual currency. This virtual currency has no real money value and cannot be withdrawn. As a result, no gambling is taking place, which means that the top social casinos are completely legal in the eyes of Arkansas lawmakers.
Arkansas sweepstakes casinos
If you want to land somewhere in between social casinos and real money gambling, then sweepstakes might be your thing. Sweepstakes casinos offer a very similar service to social casinos. However, in addition to the just-for-fun currency that has no real money value, you also have sweeps coins.
These sweeps coins can only be acquired for free and can be used to play games in promotional mode. Ultimately, this means that they can be used to redeem real-world prizes. While some operators only offer gift cards and rewards for their land-based casino resorts, there are many US sweepstakes casinos out there offering cash prizes.
Our favorite online casino alternatives in Arkansas
1.
5% Rakeback
Players from Virginia accepted
2.
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE + 30 Sweepstake Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
3.
Get up to GC 360,000 + Free FC1,000 + $8 FREE Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
4.
Get $5 extra in FREE play
Players from Virginia accepted
5.
5,000 Gold Coins + 2.3 Sweepstakes Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
Are Arkansas sweepstakes casinos legal?
Are sweepstakes casinos actually legal in Arkansas? Of course they are – we wouldn’t have included them in this article otherwise. However, we understand that there is often some confusion about how and why sweepstakes casinos are legal.
Sweepstakes fall under the no purchase necessary law, meaning that all entries need to be free. On top of that, the process of winning the prize can’t be left down to chance. As a result, sweepstakes casinos are not classed under the same header as online gambling sites or illegal lotteries and are considered completely legal in the state of Arkansas – and most other US states, for that matter.
What are the best Arkansas online casinos?
There are no real money online casinos available in Arkansas right now, that much is clear. If you want to speculate about the future, we, unfortunately, have no indication of what operators might potentially launch their online casino apps in Arkansas should it ever become legal. The only thing that we can likely assume is that the three land-based casinos will be given operational licenses, as they have for retail casinos and sports betting.
For now though, let us turn our attention to the here and now. Below, we will take a look at some of the best sweepstakes and social casinos available in Arkansas today. Also, you can find out how to use our comparison tool here at CaptainGambling to find the best Arkansas social casinos for you.
Finding the best Arkansas social casinos
As social casinos can only be played with a virtual currency, purely for the purposes of fun, there are absolutely no restrictions placed on how many can operate. This leaves you with a plethora of options in Arkansas – provided that you are over the legal age of 18. If there is a slightly negative thing to be said here, it’s that you arguably have too much choice.
That’s where we come in, as right here on this page you can find our current top ten rated social casinos in the Natural State. From here, you can either head directly to your chosen operator's site, create your account and start playing in minutes. Before you do that though, we strongly recommend that you make use of our reviews.
Top Arkansas sweepstakes casinos
Our operator comparison tool here at CaptainGambling also contains the best old and new sweepstake casinos in the US. When it comes to choosing your ideal sweepstakes casino, we would say that there are a few additional things to take into consideration compared to choosing a social casino.
For starters, there’s the issue of prizes. Most sweepstakes casino players want cash prizes, but not all sweepstakes casinos offer them. As we said previously, some operators’ prizes come in the form of gift cards or merchandise - just like our number one pick, Stake.us
The very best sweepstakes casino: Stake.us
Stake.us is top of our leaderboard with good reason. Currently, you can look to make your way through a 300-strong casino portfolio that is backed by some of the biggest names in the software industry. In turn, you can immerse yourself in a casino experience that mimics that of the very best real money casinos. Alongside names like Hacksaw Gaming and Pragmatic Play, the in-house team at Stake.us have created some unique casino games, such as Plinko, Dice, and Crash.
Of course, as with gaming availability, usability is a critical consideration when selecting your next place to play. Again, Stake.us smashes this out of the park and provides a simple sign-up process alongside both mobile and online accessibility, too. Although there is currently no app available, you can still register using an email or social media account through your mobile browser.
Before you submit your details or link your social account, we suggest entering our exclusive promotional code and redeeming a 5% Rakeback bonus. Once you have signed up, you'll be able to unlock a Gold Coin and Stake Cash daily login bonus; however, our exclusive bonus will give you 5% back on all losses, every single day, too. Speaking of Stake Cash, you'll be able to convert your virtual balance into a withdrawable balance as soon as a 3x playthrough has been met. Currently, you can convert Stake Cash for merchandise, vouchers or digital currency.
Are mobile casino apps available in Arkansas?
Again, if we are talking about real money casinos, then there are no apps legally available. However, you have plenty of sweepstakes and social casino apps to choose from. Operators recognize that mobile gaming is the most popular format among players, and therefore most of them have high-quality apps available.
Whether you’re an iOS or Android user, you will be able to find mobile apps for sweepstakes and social casinos in Arkansas. Once again, we have a comparison tool for that here at CaptainGambling. Even the few operators that don’t have a mobile app do have a mobile-optimized website in almost all cases.
What casino bonuses are available in Arkansas?
Both sweepstakes and social casinos in Arkansas have plenty of bonuses. Some of them are virtually the same as those found at real money gambling sites, while others differ. If we start off where there is a crossover, you can easily find free spins and no deposit bonuses with multiple operators. In actual fact, the majority of sweepstakes and social casino bonuses are technically no-deposit offers.
The best welcome offers in AR
Literally every social casino in Arkansas, without exception, has a welcome bonus. When you register a new social casino account, you will be given a decent quantity of free coins to get you started. If you have registered with a sweepstakes operator, you may in some cases also find that your welcome offer comes with free sweeps as well.
The best part is that you don’t need to make a deposit in order to claim your welcome offer at a social casino. This is because you can’t actually make a real money deposit at a social or sweepstakes casino. If you do want to get additional virtual currency, you can do so through purchases, rather than deposits.
Sweepstakes promos in Arkansas
When covering the legal situation earlier on, we explained that operators cannot charge money for sweeps coins. You therefore can only obtain them through a number of different bonuses. As we said above, the first way that you will be able to get free sweeps is through the welcome bonus.
You will then be able to find additional sweeps promos, either through the daily reload bonus or social media contests. Usually, however, the most plentiful sweeps bonuses come with promotional purchase packages of Gold Coins. You can keep track and find all of the latest valid promo codes for sweepstakes casinos in Arkansas right here at CaptainGambling.
There is another avenue through which you can get free sweeps in Arkansas, and it is something of a hack. If you send a written request on a 4x6 postcard by mail, you will receive free sweeps coins. It might sound a little odd, but sweepstakes casino operators are legally bound to offer this – a lot of people just don’t know about it.
Arkansas online casinos - Find your ideal site today
Even if real money gambling isn’t legal in Arkansas, you still have sweepstakes and social casinos. As we hope we have convinced you, these are the best possible substitutes that you could wish for. If you are interested, then feel free to use our comparison and reviews to find your ideal site in Arkansas today.
Our favorite social casino bonuses in Arkansas
1.
5% Rakeback
Players from Virginia accepted
2.
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE + 30 Sweepstake Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
Min. Deposit: 9.99
3.
Get up to GC 360,000 + Free FC1,000 + $8 FREE Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
4.
Get $5 extra in FREE play
Players from Virginia accepted
5.
5,000 Gold Coins + 2.3 Sweepstakes Coins
Players from Virginia accepted
Arkansas Online Casinos FAQ
🎲 Can you gamble online in Arkansas?
If any changes happen with regard to the online gambling laws in Arkansas, we will be the first to let you know. That’s why we recommend that you bookmark CaptainGambling.com today.
🎰 Are online casinos legal in Arkansas?
Our comprehensive legal guide to online casinos in Arkansas is completely up-to-date and reflects the current situation. The landscape is changing quickly in states across the US, so it’s important to keep on top of things.
📍Where can I play casino games in Arkansas?
All of your online and in-person casino gambling options can be found right here at CaptainGambling.com. Furthermore, we will also keep you updated with any legislative changes.
