Arkansas' laws when it comes to gambling are a little outdated, however they do clearly state that all forms of unregulated gambling are illegal. The Penal Code says that, “If any person is guilty of betting any money or any valuable thing on any game of brag, bluff, poker… or at any other game of cards, known by any name… he or she shall be fined in any sum not less than ten dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars.” This does make it clear, however looking at the amounts of the fine we can only assume that stopping a friendly home game is hardly top of the states agenda. Take a read of what's below to find out what the deal is in Arkansas when playing poker.
Playing Poker at Home in Arkansas
As we have mentioned above, gambling is illegal in Arkansas and the state has a pretty hard stance when it comes to gambling. Poker games get no exception from the rules and in years gone by they have even gone so far as to chase home games down, but that's not the case nowadays. Some states ar fine with a home game as long as there is no profit making by the host but not so in this case. Running an illegal or underground card room in Arkansas is classed as a Class D felony and as such can carry up to a six year prison sentence, making it something that you do not want to be doing. However law enforcement agencies are not really concerned with low key home poker games. If you are considering hosting a home game it may be wise to check with your local law enforcement agency first.
Playing Poker Online in Arkansas
Well there is absolutely no surprise to find that Arkansas has no laws with regards to online poker. Making any wager by telephone is indeed illegal but that is about as close as any law gets to online poker. The state has no means to monitor online activity and as things stand they have no plans to do so either at state or federal level. It's quite normal for residents of Arkansas to enjoy a game of poker online and there are many poker rooms available that accept players from the state, including Betonline Poker, Bovada and Juicy Stakes. Until laws are updated and changed then we do not see a reason why residents of Arkansas may not enjoy online poker.
Playing Poker in an Arkansas Casino
Arkansas does not have casinos as such. They have racetracks where wagers on horses and greyhounds are permitted and recently these places have been allowed to install slot machines. As with most states with similar laws, there is an ongoing debate regarding the relaxing or updating of gambling laws and facilities however in Arkansas the anti-gambling crowd have the upper hand and it appears for the meantime at least, there will be no casinos as we know them in the state of Arkansas.
