The Arkansas Racing Commission has allowed FanDuel and DraftKings to enter the state's online betting market through their partnerships with established casinos. The Commission granted them licences to form these partnerships in late February.
Casino Partnerships and Vendor Model
The two sportsbooks will provide the technology and online sports betting services with their partners, while the casinos will keep running the operational side of the business. According to the state law, casinos get to keep 51% of the net revenue the sportsbooks generate, and the sportsbooks will operate as vendors.
FanDuel is partnering with Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, while DraftKings will join forces with Southland Casino Hotel.
Gregory Karamitis, DraftKings Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sports, commented on the deal:
We’re excited to team up with Southland Casino Hotel to bring DraftKings’ top-rated mobile sportsbook to Arkansas and introduce fans to our best-in-class sports betting offering.
“As March Madness approaches and several major sports are underway, we look forward to serving Arkansas customers with innovative features, including our No. 1 live betting experience and a continued commitment to responsible gaming,” Karamitis concluded.
The Arkansas Betting Market
Even though both FanDuel and DraftKings also offer prediction market products, they will not become available in Arkansas through this deal. The two sportsbooks are looking to disrupt the sports betting market that generated $655.92 million in 2025, out of which almost $620 million came from online sports betting.
There was some opposition from current market leaders in Arkansas, but the introduction of the two nationally-acclaimed sportsbooks is expected to increase the sports betting revenue in the state.
