To put it mildly, Arkansas is not the best state in the US for playing casino games in traditional brick and mortar casino, due to the fact that there is none. Arkansas is one of the more religious states of the Union and as such gambling in general has been frowned upon despite several attempts at changing the law and building casinos that would surely generate tax revenue for the state. There has however been a slight change in attitude toward gambling in that Arkansas now has a state lottery and also allows some forms of electronic games such as slots and video poker at its two large and extremely popular racetracks. Many residents in the state use online casinos to enjoy playing casino games and this is perfectly legal in the state of Arkansas.
Land Based Casino Games in Arkansas
As mentioned there are no land based casinos in Arkansas, they are not even permitted on Native Indian owned land, however this could be about to change. There have been many attempts made at changing this and Texan businessman Michael Wasserman is proposing that his company be allowed to build seven casinos in various counties within the state. This would give Wasserman a monopoly on casinos but it would pave the way for other private companies to perhapss do the same. This leaves just the two locations where offline gambling is legal and those are the two state owned racetracks. However before you get excited, they only offer Video Poker, Slots and other electronic gaming machines and you will find no live dealer table games such as Blackjack, Roulette or Craps. The biggest gambling facility in the state is the Oaklawn Park Racetrack and here you’ll find a vast array of slots. The laws were changed at Oaklawn due to an economic need and the offering of these games and the recent inclusion of Poker has seen a massive turn for the good in revenues at the track.
Online Casinos for Residents of Arkansas
Although at present the laws may be fairly strict regarding land based casinos and playing casino games in general, that is not the case as far as playing casino games online is concerned. The state of Arkansas has no law against playing online casino games at all. There is also no law at federal level and although there are rules in place for financial institutions such as banks there are no laws against residents who wish to enjoy playing in an online casino. There are many online casinos that Arkansas residents may use and they offer a stunning array of games to play. These include Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker and many others, and if slots are your favorite type of casino game then you are in for a treat as many casinos really do focus on these. Many online casinos will offer over 200 different types of online slots including traditional 3 reel slots, modern 5 reel video slots and if that huge jackpot is what you are looking for then look no further than the progressive jackpot slots. As well as the games on offer you’ll receive a great welcome bonus and many offer fantastic rewards programs that give you a little extra for playing your favorite games. If you enjoy playing casino games and are a resident of Arkansas then maybe playing online is the best option for you.
Casino Games in Arkansas Summary
As you can see the only land based establishments where you may enjoy playing casino games are the two state owned racetracks and the offering is limited to electronic games with no real casino games on offer. This may change in the future but until then it looks like the best option for residents of the state is to enjoy casino games online.
