Casinos Near Arkansas

Yes. Casinos in Arkansas were authorized by a public vote back in 2018, and the first venues opened their doors in 2019.

Arkansas casino laws allow for a current maximum of four brick-and-mortar gambling venues, three of which are operational as of 2025.

Casinos in AR are allowed to host all the typical classic games. These include slots, house-banked table games (i.e., blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, video poker, etc.), and live poker tables/tournaments. 

Yes! There are three physical casino venues in AR, with a fourth on the way. These are:

• Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort – Hot Springs
• Saracen Casino Resort – Pine Bluff
• Southland Casino & Hotel – West Memphis

Yes. There are two Class III Arkansas tribal casinos.

One of these, the Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, was opened in 2019 and is operated by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The other, Legends Casino in Russellville, is under construction with its launch TBA. Legends is operated by the Cherokee Nation.

Not domestically.

Arkansas online casinos were not approved by voters in 2018 when retail venues were authorized, and it will take another referendum to get local online gambling options (excluding online sports betting, which is legal in AR) off the ground.

For now, however, it remains perfectly legal to gamble online if you live in the Natural State by joining an international casino website that operates outside of AR and US borders.

In AR, you must be 18+ to bet on horse racing and to play the Arkansas Lottery. If you want to play casino games or bet sports, you’ll have to be at least 21 years old.

That said, most legit Internet gambling sites available to AR residents only require them to be 18 or older. That means that to play at a legal, real-money online casino, Arkansas gamblers only have to be 18 years of age.

That’s subjective. To us, there is no singular “best casino” in Arkansas. Each venue is different and unique, and they’re all worth a visit.

Still, personal preference is a thing, and we generally prefer purpose-built gambling venues, not converted facilities.

Because Oaklawn and Southland were both racing tracks before they were casinos, we find that they don’t have quite the punch that the Saracen Casino does.

Similarly, when the Cherokee Legends Casino in Russellville opens, we wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t make a claim to being the “greatest” in addition to the “latest.” 

By gaming floor size, here’s how the current batch of casinos in Arkansas compare:

• Southland Casino & Hotel – 113,000 square feet
• Saracen Casino Resort – 80,000 square feet
• Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort – 60,000 square feet

Of course, when it comes to casinos, Arkansas isn’t going to have any new venues for quite some time. That means these current venues are likely to see constant updates and expansions to their gaming floors.

In other words, the biggest AR casino today may not be the biggest AR casino tomorrow.

No. The Cherokee-owned Legends Casino was supposed to be built in Polk County, but plans were scrapped in November 2024 after an unfavorable vote by locals at the ballot box.

Yes! In fact, there are several top-rated Vegas-style casinos right across the AR border in Mississippi.

These are located in Tunica Springs, and they include venues such as Harrah’s, the Hollywood Casino, Sam’s Town, the Horseshoe Casino, and more.

Yes! All three Arkansas casinos are resort-style hotels.

No. If you live in AR, you may hear of a venue called the Choctaw Casino. Fort Smith, Arkansas, is where you’re most likely to come across this reference.

However, though locals consider the Choctaw Casino & Resort to be an AR casino, it’s actually located in Pocola, Oklahoma.

Pocola is just 20 miles from Fort Smith, so it’s practically local, and it’s one of the best casinos near Arkansas that’s not actually in the state itself.

Though a proper AR Cherokee casino is under construction in Pope County, there is another Cherokee casino near Arkansas that many people in the state treat like a local venue.

As with the Choctaw Casino (see above), this one is just across the border in Oklahoma, and it’s called the Cherokee Casino Siloam Springs. Arkansas residents can drive from AR’s Siloam Springs to OK’s West Siloam Springs community – where the casino is actually positioned – in just a few minutes.

And that’s exactly what they do. In fact, most people who gamble at the Cherokee West Siloam Springs casino are AR locals.