To Top

With Recent Actions, Casino Battle Is Heating Up In Pope County, Arkansas

A petition seeks to put an amendment on the November ballot to change AR law to require a county’s voters to decide if they want a casino.

One Hand Holds Horse Another Holds Queen
Photo by Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock
J.R. Duren Avatar
1min read
Share Share
Copy link Share on X Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share via Email

In 2018, when Arkansas voters approved an amendment to bring four casinos to four counties, it seemed that gaming was about to explode.

Six years later, three of those four counties have open and operating casinos (Saracen Casino all but $100 of that total.

Could this impact online casinos?

Online casinos are illegal in Arkansas. Typically, a state legalizes online casinos through its legislature. Elected lawmakers wrangle back and forth over online casino regulations, taxes, and other details, then eventually approve (or shoot down) changes to existing gaming laws that carve out a space for iGaming.

However, if Arkansas voters approve LVC’s amendment, future chances of legalizing online casinos get a lot trickier. Online casinos would most likely be approved at the state level and then undergo a vote in each county.

That may be a risk that online casino operators are unwilling to take.

J.R. Duren Avatar
Written by

J.R. Duren has covered online gambling for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015, including PlayUSA. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

View all posts by J.R. Duren

J.R. Duren has covered online gambling for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015, including PlayUSA. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Sign up to our newsletter to get PlayUSA’s latest hands-on reviews, expert advice, and exclusive offers delivered straight to your inbox.
You are already subscribed to our newsletter. Want to update your preferences data?
Thank you for signing up! You’re all set to receive the latest reviews, expert advice, and exclusive offers straight to your inbox. Stay tuned!
View Offers
Something went wrong. Please try again later