March Madness expected to bring a record-breaking month for Arkansas sports betting and casinos

March Madness is expected to bring Arkansas casinos their best month to date as the DFA believes they could reach $70 million in placed bets.

"Well, last year in March 2024 for the tournament, we had $50 million,"  Scott Hardin said. "I don't think it's crazy to think we could see a month with a $70 million wager, just because of the growth that we've seen, and it continues to grow."

Neal Atkinson, the senior director of Sportsbook and Table Operations for Saracen Casinos and Resorts, said it's already been a great start, and they owe their success to the success of the Hogs.

"For the first nine days of the month, we are seeing about a 35% increase year over year in the amount of debts that we take compared to last year," Atkinson said. “We owe a whole lot of that to the Hogs looking like they're going to make the tournament this year.”

"This year, we do expect a huge increase over last year," added Atkinson. "We noticed a slight decrease in the first weekend numbers because the Hogs weren't in the NCAA tournament last year." 

The biggest reason March Madness is such a popular topic is the sheer number of games played.

"There are so many games spread out throughout the entire rest of the month that there's a lot of betting opportunities, and people really love to bet on March Madness games," Atkinson stated. "I think they say that in the workplace, the first two days of March are usually some of your least productive days in the workspace because people are really paying attention to that." 

This year is not just about basketball —  they are seeing a big increase on the diamond as well. “We've seen a huge increase in baseball betting", Atkinson said.

"With Arkansas being the No. 4 ranked team in baseball this year, we're seeing a lot of bets. And if you've been betting on BetSaracen — between betting the baseball Hogs, the basketball Hogs, and even the softball Hogs — you've done pretty well starting out this morning."

The Arkansas softball team closed out the series against Ole Miss with a 20-3 win Sunday, the Diamond Hogs ended the weekend with a sweep against Portland, and the men's basketball team secured the nail-biting win against Mississippi State, 93-92, on Saturday. 

During this busy March season, Hardin wants to remind you to make sure you are gambling legally here in Arkansas.

"Only way to place a legal sports wager on the NCAA tournament ... is through the state's three casinos," Hardin said. "Either you go there physically, or you go to one of their apps and do it."

March Madness officially kicks off Sunday, March 16, as the tournament bracket gets revealed. 

By Parker Abels