Saracen Casino to challenge Arkansas law on online gambling; Oaklawn fighting back

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff is seeking a rule change by the Arkansas Racing Commission that would allow online casino gambling in the state.

Currently, only online sports betting is legal in Arkansas, but Saracen wants to change that—allowing for bettors to use their phones to play casino games like slots, blackjack, craps, and more—games currently limited to the few brick-and-mortar casinos in the state.

Saracen has already begun developing its own prospective app—’Play Saracen.’

“We actually hope to make this case to the Arkansas Racing Commission, and it would exactly mirror what we did with sports betting. Because, with sports betting, we said ‘let’s go from the four walls of the casino to the four borders of Arkansas,” said Carlton Saffa, Saracen’s chief marketing officer.

To sweeten the deal, Saracen is proposing to create a 50/50 drawing online, half the funds generated from which would go toward NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) funding to recruit athletes to Arkansas’ universities.

“There’s this incredible bonus, and that is that we can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a week to fund the NIL needs at every college in Arkansas,” Saffa said.

The casino is also arguing that by legalizing online gambling in the state, Arkansans wouldn’t have to turn to illegal gambling apps tied to illicit groups or activities. Apps that are already available on your smartphone.

“This would represent a major expansion of gaming in Arkansas and should not be rushed into without understanding its impact on our state. I share the concerns about foreign illegal gaming, and DFA is committed to working with our casino partners and law enforcement to address it,” Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson said in a statement.

KATV reached out to DFA, which oversees the Arkansas Racing Commission, for an interview, but were told by DFA Spokesperson Scott Hardin that “the department is not doing interviews on this subject as the idea/proposal is simply not under consideration.”

Saracen’s biggest competitor, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, is staunchly against the whole idea on legalizing online gambling to the extent the Pine Bluff casino is seeking.

Oaklawn officials have argued that online gambling could lead to a decline in visitors to brick-and-mortar casinos or that a raffle funding NIL programs could reduce money generated by the state’s scholarship lottery.

In a recent op-ed published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Oaklawn President Louis Cella went as far as to say that, with online gambling, Arkansans would “have less discretionary funds to spend within their local communities, causing a decline in sales tax collections for public services.”

“I believe Oaklawn’s opposition is based in the fact that the Saracen sportsbook books about three times as many wagers online as Oaklawn does,” Saffa told KATV. “And I believe their objections are really a smokescreen based upon a fear of competing.”

“We’re the new kid on the block, we’re the new casino in Arkansas, but we are not afraid to innovate and to hustle and we know that the internet is where this is going.”

Saffa says if the rule change is not heard at the Arkansas Racing Commission, Saracen is prepared to bring it before the state legislature at January’s regular session.