March Madness Remains Target Date To Launch DraftKings, FanDuel In Arkansas
By mid-March, DraftKings and FanDuel could be given a green light to begin accepting sports bets in Arkansas.
On Friday, Scott Hardin, Arkansas Racing Commission spokesman, confirmed that the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament remains the target to launch DraftKings and FanDuel statewide. (See basketball, baseball key dates below.)
“Our regulatory team is in contact with the casinos and companies to obtain all required details before launch,” he told Gambling.com.
On Feb. 26, the seven-member Arkansas Racing Commission voted unanimously in a voice vote to allow those two national operators to partner with two of Arkansas’ three licensed casinos.
DraftKings is partnering with Southland Casino Hotel in West Memphis. FanDuel is joining with Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs.
Wayne Smith, Oaklawn general manager, told Gambling.com on Friday the resort is “waiting on commission staff for their final operational review and approval for us to go live.”
He added that Oaklawn’s horse racing wagering app, Oaklawn Anytime, will remain in operation. Oaklawn is home to a historic race track, pictured, where the annual Arkansas Derby is held. The Arkansas Derby is an important prelude to the annual Triple Crown races.
The commission's approval on Thursday allows DraftKings and FanDuel to serve as vendors for Southland and Oaklawn.
The current local sports-betting apps operated statewide by those two casinos—Oaklawn Sports (Oaklawn) and Betty Arkansas (Southland)—are to be discontinued. The new apps are expected to be branded with “powered by” labeling, as in Oaklawn Sports Powered by FanDuel. Southland’s could include the casino logo with a “powered by DraftKings” designation. These online platforms will be only for sports betting, not for the DraftKings and FanDuel prediction market components.
Arkansas’s third casino, Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, has not partnered with a national online bookmaker. It operates the BetSaracen online platforms. Saracen’s chief market officer, Carlton Saffa, addressed the commission on Thursday, opposing the plan to allow national online bookmakers to operate in the state.
March Madness Target Dates
Below is this year’s March Madness college basketball schedule, as posted on the ncaa.com website:
2026 NCAA tournament schedule, dates
- Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 15
- First Four: March 17-18
- First round: March 19-20
- Second round: March 21-22
- Sweet 16: March 26-27
- Elite Eight: March 28-29
- Final Four: April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
- NCAA championship game: April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Major League Baseball Regular Season Begins In March
Also next month, the Major League Baseball regular season begins on Wednesday, March 25, with a single game, pitting the New York Yankees on the road in San Francisco against the Giants. The game is set be streamed live on Netflix, beginning at 8:05 p.m. ET. Currently, the league's 30 teams are engaged in spring training games in Arizona and Florida.
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