Arkansas senator says online casino bill has "no chance" of passing

A key Arkansas lawmaker has declared that a bill to legalize online casino gaming in the state is effectively dead, facing strong opposition from top state officials.  

State Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs) told Gambling.com in a text message Tuesday that House Bill 1861, which would legalize iGaming in Arkansas, has "no chance" of passing.  

Hester added that the measure will be "vigorously" opposed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin, making its passage "impossible" before the legislative session ends on April 11.  

If enacted, HB 1861 would permit online casino games such as slots and craps, accessible through mobile devices and computers. While Arkansas already allows online sports betting, iGaming remains illegal in the state and all its neighbors.  

The proposal, led by Carlton Saffa, chief market officer of Saracen Casino Resort, aims to regulate online casino gaming while banning untaxed, unregulated sweepstakes casinos.  

For its part, the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA), a trade group representing sweepstakes casinos, has publicly opposed the measure.  

"The SPGA urges Arkansas lawmakers to reject this broad, punitive legislation and instead engage with stakeholders to create a balanced, informed policy," the association stated.  

Saffa has argued that unregulated online gaming is widespread in Arkansas, often operated by offshore companies.  

"Most are offshore, and many directly linked to China," Saffa previously told Gambling.com. He contends that legalizing iGaming under state oversight would reduce illicit gambling while ensuring tax revenues benefit Arkansas.  

"We are constraining the number of parties that can participate by regulating it, limiting it, and creating felony provisions for bad actors," Saffa added.  

A companion Senate bill to HB 1861 was recently withdrawn, after its sponsor misunderstood the legislation’s broader implications.  

Hester said the senator backing the bill believed it was primarily about restricting Chinese influence and was "not aware of the iGaming portion" before introducing it.