Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, a racino which is also home to a thoroughbred racetrack, opened the doors to a new sportsbook, offering bets in the VIP racing area of the casino.
Located in Hot Springs, news of the Oaklawn Casino sportsbook opening makes Arkansas the ninth state in the United States to officially offer sports betting.
General manager of the resort, Wayne Smith, placed the state’s first legal bet with a teller on Monday morning, WSN reports.
Oaklawn has become the first in Arkansas to offer sports wagering with the opening Monday of its newly remodeled Race & Sports Book in the north end of the casino... https://t.co/46RhHRIwIi pic.twitter.com/FwL1tkFQXF
— Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort (@OaklawnRacing) 1 de julio de 2019
Smith bet $5 for the Cowboys to cover the 7.5-point spread to beat the New York Giants on opening day of the NFL season.
The opening of the first sportsbook in Arkansas comes on the heels of voters approving sports wagering at four properties in the state in November.
The final tally for the November vote was 54% in favor of the sports betting measure to 46% against.
Oaklawn is the first of four locations in the state that will offer sports betting, with the other three in various states of preparation before getting approval from the Racing Commission.
The other casino locations to offer wagering on sporting events include the Southland Gaming and Racing facility in West Memphis and at two other casinos in Pope and Jefferson Counties.
Arkansas will tax revenues from sports betting at a 13% rate for the first $150 million that a casino takes in and then 20% on any revenue beyond that figure.