Following months of delays, Saracen Casino Resort has officially launched their mobile sports betting app BetSaracen in Arkansas.
The app is available to both Android and iOS users, and becomes the second online betting app to be unveiled in the state, alongside Southland Casino’s Betly platform.
Carlton Saffa, chief marketing officer of Saracen, said in a company release that their team “has worked day and night for months to finally bring a first-class, Arkansas-based sports wagering app platform to the state’s many sports fans.”
The company had originally announced plans to launch the app before the March Madness NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which is among the top sports betting events each year in the U.S. However, the process of developing and executing an operational betting app in a fledgling market proved to be more difficult than Saracen had anticipated.
As the delays continued, bettors in the state began to voice their frustration on the company’s social media platforms and beyond–many questioned why such promises were made in the first place.
In the meantime, the Betly app from Southland Casino was launched. While bettors were certainly happy to finally have an online platform, Betly also drew mixed reviews due to problems with deposit and withdrawal policies and a lack of NHL lines.
As of now, BetSaracen and Betly remain the only mobile betting options in the state, but a third offering from Oaklawn Racing Casino is also expected to debut in the coming months.
Arkansas enforces unique revenue sharing regulations that limit operators’ growth potential, which is why large-scale companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings have largely avoided the state’s market. This then opens the door for in-state operators, who could potentially see record profits given the minimal competition.
The Arkansas Racing Commission has not said whether or not they will overturn the revenue rule should local apps fail long-term.
