NFL's Arkansas Razorbacks drive most sports betting in the state

As the pandemic hit the entire American continent, live sports shut down like the rest of the world did. For businesses that rely on live sports, 2020 was a difficult year. But with vaccination campaigns and a recovering society, this year’s panorama is different. All major sports and bets are back in action and the NFL season has changed the sports betting industry situation in the United States.

According to Neal Atkinson, Director of the Sportsbook at Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, NFL’s Razorbacks have made a difference in the betting business in a year-over-year comparison. 

In an interview with THV11, Atkinson explained: "There is definitely a lot of interest in football, NFL and college. Also, the Razorbacks are really adding to the excitement each week with how well they are playing. We are seeing increased business compared to this time last year."

Atkinson also explained that last year, bets went down by over a 90%, and people were trying to find sports such as Korean baseball and ping pong just to keep betting during that time. However, in August 2021, Saracen saw over half a million dollars placed in sports bets alone. Oaklawn saw over a million.

"We are now threefold ahead of where we were this time last year," Atkinson added. "I attribute, probably most of that to the success of the Arkansas Razorbacks this year."

He continued: "One of the reasons we increased our limits is because of people wanting to bet on the hogs," he said. "It's gonna be a big help for us, because anytime there's interest in your local sports team, they're gonna bet them more."