Concern About Sports Betting In Arkansas Could Lead To Another Statewide Referendum

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Voters approved sports betting in Arkansas last fall, but there are some who have concerns about it. 

Amendment 100 was passed last fall in Arkansas. Amendment 100 allows for four different casinos to be built the state and it also included a measure that would allow for sports betting. Sportsbooks haven’t opened yet, but sports wagering and casinos have residents of the state concerned. They voiced their issues to the Arkansas Racing Commission, which had a hearing on Thursday to discuss what rules should be adopted. 

Some of the concerned residents are the athletic directors of the state’s colleges. Four have come forward and have suggested that there should be edits to how the current rules are going to be implemented. 

College Athletic Directors Voice Their Opinion

Athletic directors want protections against exploitation, as well as a way to prevent athletes from potentially receiving bribes that could impact the outcome of games. 

Officials are also calling for casinos to keep a record of every sports wager made for at least three years. Casinos would need to report any bets that look suspicious and cooperate in investigations that concern these issues.  

With thousands of bets wagered every day, casinos speculate it could be difficult to keep track of every detail of a person and every detail of a bet that was made. 

Lawyers Get Involved

Law professors from Arkansas colleges have also cautioned the Commission from setting sports betting rules without their input. Professors believe that before any rules are adopted concerning sports betting, the issues should be thoroughly studied by the universities in the state. 

Even with opposition, sports betting regulations were passed and none of the modifications that the athletic directors nor the law professors suggested were included. The only aspect that changed is that betting on amateur sports has to be done in a casino and cannot be done by phone or internet. 

Pope County Is Not Happy

Last fall, Pope County voted for a local ordinance which requires they be allowed to vote on any proposed casinos. Casinos must also receive letters of support from either the county judge or Quorum Court. As Amendment 100 passed, one of the casinos that are going to be built is going to be in Pope County.

Residents in Pope County rejected the statewide ballot that allows for casinos to operate in the area. Lawmakers, whose terms were ending within a few days of the vote, still submitted letters to the Commission stating that they endorsed building casinos.   

Residents are looking for a way to make sure casinos and sports betting expansion will not happen and they submitted nearly 200 letters to the Commission voicing their disapproval. Some lawmakers from the county believe that the cities need the casinos to help create more jobs for its residents.  

A Solution That Could Lead To Another Referendum

Johnson County was another area where casinos are set to be built. Rep. Aaron Pilkington, whose district includes a part of Pope and Johnson counties, said they should move the upcoming Pope casino to Johnson instead. He said he plans to file a bill this week to make that change to Amendment 100. But other lawmakers, such as Senator Ronald Caldwell, said that because it is technically an amendment to the constitution, it would require a referendum vote that needs a statewide ballot. 

Even though that is the case, the Arkansas Racing Commission adopted those rule changes to regulate casino gambling in the state. This includes Rule 2.13, which throws out the endorsements that were received by leaving officials. The Commission has to submit their draft of the adopted rules to the legislature before it becomes approved. The draft could end up being rejected due to a Supreme Court Case that requires all constitutional amendments to be approved by a statewide referendum. 

Even though voters approved for casinos and sports betting to happen in Arkansas, the state does not appear ready for it to be implemented. The Pope County issues could end up going to a statewide referendum which would further delay some sports betting in the state. The other casinos being built might not offer sportsbooks at all. Although it was legalized, sports betting in Arkansas is still up in the air.