The Arkansas Racing Commission has approved DraftKings and FanDuel to offer online sports betting in the state.
Thursday’s license approvals allow DraftKings to partner with Southland Casino for online sports betting, while FanDuel will serve as the online partner of Oaklawn Casino.
In a statement Thursday, DraftKings said that it would soon launch its online sportsbook in the state, subject to final regulatory approvals.
“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,” said Gregory Karamitis, DraftKings executive vice president and general manager of sports.
“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.”
Arkansas will mark the 31st US jurisdiction in which DraftKings offers sports betting, and the 25th US jurisdiction for FanDuel.
Arkansas’ Saracen Casino, which was the leading online sportsbook operator in 2025, had urged the Racing Commission to maintain the status quo and not allow Arkansas casinos to partner with out-of-state entities.
Arkansas’ casinos generated total sports betting handle of $655.92 million in 2025, of which $38.37 million came from retail betting and $617.55 million from online betting.
Saracen Casino was the market leader in 2025 with total sports handle of $329.07 million, including $322.32 million from online betting.
Oaklawn Casino held second place with total sports handle of $215.04 million, including online handle of $201.88 million, followed by Southland Casino with total handle of $111.80 million, including $93.35 million from online.
Arkansas launched retail sports betting in 2019 and online sports betting in 2022, with the state’s regulations mandating that casinos retain 51 per cent of sports betting revenue when contracting with a third-party sports betting vendor.
Shares in DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG) closed 2.40 per cent higher at $23.49 per share in New York Thursday, while shares in FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment plc. (NYSE:FLUT) gained 2.75 per cent to close at $123.13 per share.
Flutter Entertainment shares were down 7.46 per cent in pre-market trading following the release of its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2025.