Arkansas Racing Commission

AR Racing Commission Moves Forward with Cherokee Nation Casino License in Pope County

Published

3 years ago

November 18, 2021

The Arkansas Racing Commission on last Friday (November 12) accepted the application and $250,000 filing fee from Cherokee Nation Businesses to move forward on a casino license in Pope County.

The motion passed on a 3-2 vote with two commissioners not participating. The Cherokee Nation proposal was deemed qualified after the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled ineligible the Gulfside Casino Partnership proposal in late October. The state’s high court previously ruled that Gulfside did not have an official letter from an elected official during the active part of the application process, while Cherokee Nation did.

There is still separate litigation pending that could affect the eligibility of the Cherokee Nation license, but it may not be resolved for months.

In Friday’s racing commission discussion, the Arkansas Attorney General’s office recommended moving forward with the Cherokee Nation proposal although Commissioner Bo Hunter of Fort Smith said, “I think that’s still very much up in the air”.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Acting chairman Commissioner Mark Lamberth of Batesville said he didn’t believe the commission could wait on the pending legal action because the agency’s rules were clear.

“The fact of the matter is we have one qualified applicant. The politics of Pope County have muddied the waters, in my opinion, but we have no authority to determine if there should be a casino there… What is to be gained by delaying this process anymore? I don’t see an avenue other than issuing a license at this time. What could happen in the interim of that 30 day period? More delays. I think it’s time to get on with the business at hand and we need to make sure this process comes to a conclusion,” Lamberth said.

Commissioner Steve Landers of Little Rock made the motion to move forward with the Cherokee Nation application. He was seconded by Commissioner Denny East of Marion. Landers, East, and Lamberth accounted for the three yes votes, while Commissioners Hunter and Michael Post of Altus voted no. Commissioners Alex Lieblong of Conway and Butch Rice of Beebe did not cast votes.

Alex Lieblong

Arkansas Casino Seeks iGaming Approval

Published

7 months ago

April 24, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

An Arkansas casino is seeking approval to operate an iGaming app, allowing people within the state to go online to play casino games such as slots, blackjack, craps and more.

On March 13, Carlton Saffa, Chief Market Officer for the Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, wrote to Arkansas Racing Commission Chairman Alex Lieblong asking for a change in the rules to allow Internet casino gambling, which is often referred to as iGaming or iCasino platforms.

On Monday, Saffa told Gambling.com he hopes to appear before the Arkansas Racing Commission on May 6 seeking approval to offer iGaming. The Arkansas Racing Commission regulates all gambling matters in the state including horse racing and casino games.

iGaming Doesn’t Hurt Bricks-And-Mortar Casinos: Saffa

Nationwide, only a half dozen states from Michigan to Connecticut offer Internet casino gambling. Arkansas would be the first in its region with iGaming, permitting users who want to log onto a computer or download an app to play traditional casino games for money. Other states in the region already offer sports betting.

In his March 13 letter to state regulators, Saffa said estimates indicate Internet casino gambling from the Saracen Casino Resort alone would generate an additional $12 million in taxes annually for the state. Internet casino gambling, or iGaming, generally raises more tax revenue than sports betting in states that have both.

However, in some states without iGaming, casino operators have fought legalization, contending customers won’t visit a bricks-and-mortar casinos and spend money at restaurants and on other amenities including entertainment and lodging if they can log onto cellphones or computers and gamble from anywhere. In his letter to state regulators, Saffa pointed to research showing iGaming doesn’t cannibalize bricks-and-mortar casinos but instead gives them ‘a lift’.

State Rule Change Required

Arkansas already allows online poker, though that has not been made available to consumers, Saffa said. He said the ability to allow iGaming would require the Arkansas Racing Commission to amend a rule to include Internet casino games in addition to the currently legal online card games such as poker.

“A solution exists by amending ARC Rule 5, which already authorizes online poker, to include other types of table games and slots,” Saffa told Gambling.com on Monday. “Doing so would provide significant tax revenues to government and, just as important, ensure that operators be held accountable by the government. Given that we have seen online operators in the fantasy sports space ignore cease and desist demands from the state, merely attempting to police the matter is not a workable solution.”

Saffa recently made a similar argument on the topic of unregulated gambling, telling Gambling.com on The Edge he opposes a ban on college player props bets, saying, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

“People in Arkansas are already gambling in online casinos and those companies are not regulated or taxed by the Arkansas Racing Commission,” Saffa said Monday. “Those companies are not held to the standards the people of Arkansas set forth for operators to include that a customer must be 21.”

Arkansas Racing Commission

Things You Need To Know About Casino Payouts by State

Published

2 years ago

May 15, 2023

GamingAmericas.com

There are a few different ways to try and determine how much Americans are winning on casino games. We can try to look at different data on revenues, wins, and prizes, though we decided to opt for a more reliable method.

To find out the casino payouts by state, this article will review the return-to-player (RTP) percentages in different casinos across the United States. Note that in most cases, tribal casinos don’t report their payout percentages, so we only collected data from commercial casinos.

RTP is the percentage of prizes returned to the players from the money initially deposited. As such, it can be used as a tool that can provide valuable information on casino payouts and shed some light on exactly how much money players are winning in each state.

Casino Payouts by State

The regulatory authorities across different states have payout percentage requirements that range around 80% and 85%. This means that casinos must return 80% to 85% of the money deposited from the players, back to them as winnings.

Let’s have a look at the reported RTP percentages across the many casinos around the country and see just how much money players are winning.

States and their average RTP

Arkansas – 92.30%
Colorado – 92.61%
Delaware – 91.92%
Florida – 92.04%
Illinois – 90.78%
Indiana – 90.38%
Iowa – 90.24%
Louisiana – 90.30%
Maine – 91.05%
Massachusetts – 92.01%
Mississippi – 91.94%
Missouri – 89.87%
Nevada – 93.28%
New Jersey – 90.82%
New York – 90.91%
Ohio – 91.14%
Pennsylvania – 89.96%
Rhode Island – 91.83%
South Dakota – 89.73%

Arkansas

There are two racinos and one tribal casino in Arkansas, and all three of them are regulated by the Arkansas Racing Commission, which mandates an RTP of over 83%.

According to the latest available data on casino payouts by state, Arkansas casino gaming machines had an average payout of:

92.60% at the Saracen Casino Resort
92.63% at Southland Casino
91.68% at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort

The above would put the Arkansas average casino payout at around 92.3%, statewide.

Colorado

Colorado is the home of 33 commercial casinos, which are heavily regulated by the state’s regulatory authority, requiring them to report their RTP percentages.

According to the most recent slot machine payouts by state reports, Colorado casinos paid the following percentages to their players:

92.26% at Black Hawk casinos
92.20% at Central City casinos
93.37% at Cripple Creek casinos

The data indicates that Colorado casinos have an average RTP of 92.61%.

Delaware

The state of Delaware is home to three racinos, regulated by the Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement, which mandates annual payout percentages be kept between 87% and 95%.

According to the latest available data, the three racinos in Delaware reported the following payouts:

91.85% at the Bally’s Dover Casino Resort
92.01% at Delaware Park
91.90% at the Harrington Raceway & Casino

In other words, the slot payout percentages by state statistics indicate that Delaware casinos have an average RTP of 91.92%.

Florida

While there are numerous casinos across Florida that do not adhere to The Florida Gaming Control Commission regulations.

Here are the most recent figures from Florida casinos that do report it:

93.43% at Hialeah Park Casino
93.41% at Magic City Casino
92.18% at Casino Miami
92.15% at The Casino @ Dania Beach
91.74% at The Big Easy Casino
91.57% at Gulfstream Park Racing
91.27% at Calder Casino
90.57 at Isle Casino Racing

According to the data above, the average casino payouts by state add up to 92.04% for Florida, according to the data above.

Illinois

According to the latest reports, the ten casinos in Illinois paid off the following percentages of the total money deposited to their players:

91.98% at Harrah’s Joliet
91.80% at Casino Queen
91.02% at Argosy Casino Alton
91.01% at the Hollywood Casino Joliet
90.90% at Grand Victoria Casino
90.88% at Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
90.35% at the River Casino Des Plaines
90.33% at Hollywood Casino Aurora
90.16% at Bally’s Quad Cities Casino
89.35% at Harrah’s Metropolis

According to the above slot payouts by state data, the average RTP in Illinois casinos is 90.78%.

Indiana

The latest available data reveals that Indiana casinos reported the following payout percentages:

91.38% at Rising Star Casino
91.29% at the French Lick Resort
90.93% at Blue Chip Casino Hotel
90.55% at the Belterra Casino Resort
90.48% at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino
90.30% at the Indiana Grand
90.22% at Hollywood Casino & Hotel in Lawrenceburg
90.09% at Majestic Star Casino
90.04% at Horseshoe Hammond
90.04% at Ameristar Casino
90.00% at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino
89.80% at Bally’s in Evansville
89.79% at the Majestic Star II

According to the above figures, the Indiana casinos’ payout percentage adds up to 90.38% RTP, according to the above figures.

Iowa

According to the most recent reports, casinos in Indiana stated the following payout percentages:

91.67% at the Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel
90.70% at the Wild Rose in Jefferson
90.66% at Grand Falls Casino
90.61% at Catfish Bend Casino
90.49% at Q Casino and Hotel
90.49% at Diamond Jo Worth Casino
90.47% at the Riverside Casino
90.42% at the Wild Rose in Emmetsburg
90.28% at the Wild Rose in Clinton
90.26% at the Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque
90.24% at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel
90.19% at the Rhythm City Casino Resort
90.14% at Casino Queen Marquette
90.02% at the Ameristar Casino Hotel
89.94% at Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf
89.76% at Harrah’s Casino
89.76% at the Isle Casino Hotel
89.50% at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino
88.92% at the Lakeside Hotel Casino

Based on the figures above, the average slot machine payout in Iowa casinos is 90.24%, based on the figures above.

Kansas

In Kansas, four commercial casinos are regulated by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, which doesn’t require reporting payout percentages, making it impossible to determine their average RTPs.

Louisiana

Rather than individually reporting data for each casino individually, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board reports payout percentage data per region. The most recent reports show the following RTP percentages:

90.30% at Baton Rouge casinos
90.70% at Lake Charles casinos
90.10% of New Orleans casinos
90.40% at Shreveport/Bossier City casinos

According to the figures above, the average casino payout percentage for Louisiana casinos is 90.3%.

Maine

In the state of Maine, there are only two casinos, and the Maine Gambling Control Board regulates both of them.

The latest Maine casino payout statistics reveal the following RTP percentages:

90.19% at the Hollywood Casino in Bangor
91.90% at the Oxford Casino Hotel

In other words, the average payout percentage for Maine casinos is 91.05%.

Maryland

In Maryland, six commercial casinos are regulated by the state’s regulatory authorities, which don’t require reporting payout percentages, revealing any data to estimate their average RTPs.

Massachusetts

According to the latest data on slot machine payouts by state, the three Massachusetts casinos had the following payout percentages:

92.30% at the Plainridge Park Casino
91.55% at the MGM Casino in Springfield
92.18% at the Encore in Boston Harbor

ThisThis means that the average slot payout percentage in the state of Massachusetts is 92.01%.

Michigan

In addition to the 17 tribal casinos in Michigan, there are also three commercial casinos in Detroit that are regulated by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, which doesn’t require reporting on payout percentages.

Mississippi

The Mississippi Gaming Commission also reports data on payout percentages by region, rather than individual casinos. The latest Mississippi casino payout percentage stats reveal the following figures:

92.00% at casinos in the Central region
91.96% at casinos in the Northern region
91.85% at Coastal casinos

Or statewide, the average RTP of slots in Mississippi is 91.94%.

Missouri

According to the most recent data, Missouri Gaming Commission reported the following payout percentage figures:

90.8% at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles
90.8% at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel
90.6% at the River City Casino Hotel
90.4% at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City
90.1% at the Lumiere Place Casino
90.1% at the Argosy Casino Hotel
89.9% at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City
89.9% at Isle of Capri in Boonville
89.7% at Isle of Capri in Cape Girardeau
89.4% at Lady Luck Casino
88.9% at St. Jo Frontier Casino
88.9% at Mark Twain Casino
88.8% at the Isle of Capri in Kansas City

The above figures place the Missouri casinos’ payout percentage at 89.87%.

Nevada

Considering that the total number of commercial casinos in Nevada is 215, it is a good thing that Nevada’s State Gaming Control Board reports payout percentages in regions, rather than individually. Here is the latest available RTP data for Nevada casinos:

92.87% at South Shore Lake Tahoe casinos
94.48% at North Shore Lake Tahoe casinos
91.81% of Las Vegas Strip casinos
92.16% of Downtown Las Vegas casinos
94.05% of Boulder Strip casinos
93.08% of North Las Vegas casinos
92.03% at Laughlin casinos
94.49% at Reno casinos
94.52% at Sparks casinos

The above slot machine payout percentage by state data indicates that Nevada casinos have the highest RTP of 93.28% in the USA.

New Jersey

The latest available data reveals that New Jersey casinos reported the following payout percentages:

91.70% at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City
91.39% at the Borgata Hotel Casino
90.88% at Bally’s Hotel & Casino
90.84% at Caesars Hotel & Casino
90.64% at Resorts Casino Hotel
90.73% at Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
90.69% at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
90.46% at the Tropicana in Atlantic City
90.08% at the Ocean Casino Resort

The New Jersey casinos’ RTP figures add up to an average slot machine payout of 90.82%.

New Mexico

There are quite a few tribal and five commercial casinos in New Mexico, though none ofare required to report their payout percentages by the regulatory authorities. As such, we cannot determine the average RTP in the state.

New York

While there are quite a few casinos in New York, only four of them offer video slots. Here is the latest casino payout percentage data for them:

91.61% at Tioga Downs Casino
90.73% at Catskills New York Casino
90.72% at Del Lago Resort & Casino
90.58% at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady

Or an average of 90.91% RTP across the entire state of New York.

Ohio

The most recent slot payouts by state statistics reveal the following RTP percentages in Ohio casinos:

92.20% at JACK Cleveland Casino
91.98% at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus
91.61% at the Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati
91.37% at Miami Valley Gaming
91.05% at MGM Northfield Park
91.03% at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo
90.97% at Belterra Park in Cincinnati
90.85% at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway
90.77% at Eldorado Scioto Downs
90.46% at JACK Thistledown Racino
90.26% at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley

The above figures put Ohio’s average slot machine payout at 91.14%, statewide.

Oklahoma

Casinos in Oklahoma don’t offer video slots. Instead, they offer Class II and Class III gaming machines, which look like slots but are actually bingo games. Moreover, the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission doesn’t require casinos to report their payout percentages, so we have nothing to report on Oklahoma casinos’ payouts.

Pennsylvania

According to the latest slot machine payout percentage by state data released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, casinos in Keystone State reported the following payout percentages:

90.61% at Parx Casino
90.47% at Valley Forge Casino Resort
90.36% at Mount Airy Casino Resort
90.20% at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
90.14% at Wind Creek Bethlehem
90.13% at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows
89.89% at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
89.82% at River Casino Pittsburgh
89.80% at Harrah’s Casino Philadelphia
89.41% at Hollywood Casino Penn National
89.35% at Presque Isle Down & Casino
89.34% at Lady Luck Casino

These figures put the average casino payout percentage at PA casinos at 89.96%.

Rhode Island

Casinos in Rhode Island don’t offer video slots, but instead, they offer video lottery terminals (VLTs), which are very similar to traditional video gaming devices. Most recently, the Rhode Island Lottery reported that the VLTs in the state had the following payout percentages:

92.10% at Bally’s Twin River Casino
91.55% at Bally’s Tiverton Casino

This places the average Rhode three commercial casinos in Detroit areIslander; instead, casinos payout percentage at 91.83% statewide.

South Dakota

All commercial casinos that report their payout percentages to the South Dakota Commission on Gaming are placed in Deadwood. Based on the latest available data, they reported an average RTP of 91%.

In addition to the commercial casinos, there are also nine tribal casinos in South Dakota. However, the same authoritative bodies do not regulate them as the commercial ones, so they don’t have to report their payout percentages.

West Virginia

None of the commercial casinos in West Virginia offer slot games. Instead, they all offer VLTs, and the latest slot payout percentages by state data reveals their payout percentages are as follows:

88.91% at Mountaineer Casino
90.75% at Mardi Gras Casino
89.69% at the Wheeling Island Hotel Casino
89.55% at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town

The above data indicates that the average RTP of West Virginia’s VLTs is 89.73%.

The Summary

Based on the available casino payouts by state data reveal, the average RTP figures of commercial casinos stateside range between 93.28% and 89.73%.

As mentioned earlier, tribal casinos don’t always have to adhere to regulations posed by the regulatory authorities that require reporting on payout percentages, so determining their average RTP is impossible at the moment.

Article Sources:

Arkansas Racing Commission

BetSaracen Goes Live on PayNearMe’s MoneyLine Platform

Published

3 years ago

May 23, 2022

GamingAmericas.com

On the heels of being granted approval by the Arkansas Racing Commission to provide its MoneyLine platform to licensed operators across the state, PayNearMe announced Saracen Casino Resort’s new online sports wagering app, BetSaracen, is live on MoneyLine, allowing players to go from deposit to play quickly and easily using convenient payment types including PayPal and Venmo, as well as cash at 245 retail locations across the state.

“With MoneyLine, we are giving our players the option of the fastest and most convenient way to make deposits using their favorite digital payment types or cash at participating retail locations in Arkansas. Additionally, MoneyLine’s integration with Amelco, BetSaracen’s sports betting platform, makes it easy to provide our players with additional deposit and withdrawal channels in the future, including the forthcoming ability to make real-time, cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs,” Carlton Saffa, Chief Market Officer at Saracen Casino Resort, said.

Managing deposits and payouts is a complex process that requires technology designed specifically for the iGaming industry. PayNearMe has deep expertise in the gaming industry and worked closely with the Arkansas Gaming Commission to ensure MoneyLine is compliant with all applicable statutory requirements.

“We’re excited to offer our best-in-class iGaming payments platform to Arkansas operators and partner with Saracen to deliver player-preferred tender types, including PayPal, Venmo and cash. We look forward to being able to further expand their payment options as they grow, while helping them manage costs and maximize revenue,” Leighton Webb, VP and GM of iGaming and Sports Betting at PayNearMe, said.