Arkansas becomes ninth US State to offer regulated sports betting

As of July 1, the State of Arkansas became the ninth US State to launch regulated sports betting. Sporting wagers can be placed at two sites that were once horse tracks, and more sites are on the way. It’s a model for the sports betting industry that other states are likely to follow as the newly legal business continues to snake its way across the American gaming, and the American heartland.
Standing front and center of the newly minted Arkansas sports betting industry is the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, located in historic Hot Springs and Southland Casino Racing. Prior to the Arkansas legislatures quick move to legalize sports betting, these two venues both stuck exclusively to horse racing. Thanks to a voter-approved measure on last year’s ballot, the two tracks were given the option of offering casino-style table games and an operating sportsbook. (The measure also allowed for two more standard casinos to be built in the state.)
In its current iteration, the sportsbook at Oaklawn is being run by SBTech, which is a European sports betting technology provider – though it may not remain SBTech for long. Recent reports suggest that SBTech could be acquired by DraftKings, which is doing everything it can to dominate the emerging US sports betting market.
The owners and operators of Oaklawn are extremely confident that regulated sports betting will be a hit in a part of the country where college football is followed with something just short of religious fervor. Company officials have already spent more than $100 million remodeling the venue for its new role.