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