Following a soft opening four days earlier, the Saracen Casino Annex in Pine Bluff, Arkansas held a grand opening on September 24 and launched sports betting through kiosks on October 1. The 15,000 square foot venue features 300 slots, a sports bar, convenience store and a gas station.
Saracen Casino Resort Project Manager Carlton Saffa said, “Three months ago, the site we are standing on was an open field and here we are today with a full-fledged casino that’s essentially ready to go. This is our 100-day casino. We started on it 100 days ago and here we are, open for business.”
Saracen utilizes International Game Technology’s sports betting platform “Play Shot” as its technical and general provider for a “sample sports book.” According to the casino’s proposal to the Arkansas Racing Commission, this consists of sports betting kiosks allowing smaller wagers with maximum bets of $500. “The sample sports book, or ‘limited betting’ option, will be a sports betting introduction to the local market and provide an introduction for the full-scale sports book that will be located at the Saracen Casino Resort,” the proposal states.
The primary Saracen Casino Resort, located across the street, will open in the second half of 2020, Saffa said. The 80,000 square foot casino will offer an attached 13-floor, 300-room hotel.
Saffa said the annex employs 236 people and the main resort and annex created 400 construction jobs. “Once we get the footings done and the steel starts coming in, we’ll expand to somewhere around 1,000 construction jobs pretty quickly. And once the whole project is completed, we’ll be providing over 1,100 permanent jobs right here in Jefferson County,” Saffa said.
