Legislators in Arkansas decline proposal allowing university sports raffles under Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations
Online Casino Gambling Remains Illegal in Arkansas, Despite Proposed Raffle for University Athletics
Efforts to legalize online casino gambling in Arkansas have continued, with a recent proposal suggesting the use of Saracen Casino's technology for a 50/50 NIL raffle for universities. However, these efforts have not yet resulted in any successful legislation.
Arkansas currently has tight gambling laws, restricting sports betting to the stateβs three licensed casinos. Despite interest from casinos like Saracen Casino Resort to offer legitimate online gambling, legislative progress has stalled. Saffa, the chief market officer at Saracen, testified against House Bill 1044, expressing concerns about technology issues and the verification of participants' age and geolocation measures.
Saracen's technology includes age verification, geolocation services, and a random-number generator for selecting winners. Saffa offered to use this technology to administer 50/50 drawings at no cost to the universities. However, his offer comes with the condition of including language in the bill to legalize online casino gambling.
Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers, objected to this inclusion, stating that he wanted a bill to legalize university raffles but not online casino gambling. In response, Saffa expressed his desire for approval for both. House Bill 1044 aimed to create a raffle to benefit NIL programs for university athletics. Under the bill, half the money raised at universities throughout the state would go to NIL funds, and the other half would go to the person winning the raffle.
However, on Wednesday, House Bill 1044, sponsored by Rep. R.J. Hawk, was defeated in an Arkansas legislative committee. This defeat marks another setback in the ongoing attempts to legalize online casino gambling in Arkansas.
It is important to note that Arkansas currently does not have any explicit mentions or developments in the available 2025 information indicating progress or proposals tied to legalizing online casino gambling in relation to Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) raffles for Arkansas university sports. The legislative efforts have focused more broadly on online casino gambling and sports betting, without specific reference to NIL-related raffles.
Arkansas' other licensed casinos, Oaklawn in Hot Springs and Southland in West Memphis, did not attend the Rules Committee hearing. The state has enforced its gambling regulations strictly, including issuing cease-and-desist orders against fantasy sports operators, reflecting a cautious approach to expanding gambling online. Despite interest from casinos like Saracen Casino Resort to offer legitimate online gambling, legislative progress has stalled.
In summary, while Arkansas has shown interest in addressing illegal offshore gambling and has tried to expand legal online gambling (such as with House Bill 1861), no current legislation has successfully legalized online casinos in Arkansas, and there is no publicly available indication of changes related to 50/50 NIL raffles for university athletics as of mid-2025.
References: 1. Arkansas Online 2. Arkansas Business
- Despite the proposal for Saracen Casino's technology to be used in a 50/50 NIL raffle for universities, Arkansas' legislation has yet to legalize online casino gambling, as evident after House Bill 1044's defeat in an Arkansas legislative committee.
- While Saracen Casino Resort's technology can facilitate age verification, geolocation services, and random-number generation for raffles, Saffa's offer to administer 50/50 drawings at no cost to universities comes with the condition of legalizing online casino gambling.
- The ongoing legislative attempts to legalize online casino gambling in Arkansas have not been directly tied to Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) raffles for Arkansas university sports, as of mid-2025, with no publicly available information indicating changes related to this specific aspect.
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