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March Madness adds boost to betting apps across Arkansas

After this month, Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, says it's estimating the state to get over $500 million.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's an important time for the sports betting world as the biggest month of the year in college basketball has arrived and the three casinos in the state are preparing for a huge boost. 

"The biggest sporting event of the year is March Madness, because we've got games for all the rest of this month on CBS. And we've got the Final Four in April," said Carlton Saffa, the CMO for Saracen Casino and Resort. 

Bet Saracen in Pine Bluff in particular is already raking in more than they ever have. 

"Bet Saracen books about two thirds of all wagers in Arkansas. You know, we're the 14th largest sports betting brand in America. And I am confident that March will be the biggest month that we've had to date," Saffa said. 

While experts are predicting the state to make more than $14 million in sports betting this March, Saffa is thinking bigger. 

"Experts expect that there'll be about $14 million wagered in Arkansas across all the sports books in the month of March. I got to be honest, I think Saracen alone will book more than that," Saffa said.

Sports betting has given millions of people across the country a chance to get some skin in each game. Even if you don't gamble, it can still benefit you.

"Find a game that's interesting to you. You get in on it five or 10 bucks, skin in the game, that makes every game fun. And if you're the sort that doesn't bet, no problem; you're benefiting from this even if you don't bet because of the tax revenue the state receives," Saffa said.

There is another app taking the sports betting scene by storm right here in Northwest Arkansas called Bro Throw, an app that allows you to gamble against other people.  

"The idea was just 'Hey, there are lots of us. We're not the only group of people out there that are betting socially like this, let's build a platform for them to make it easier to make it more organized,'" said Brady Sharp, the Co-Founder and CEO of Bro Throw.

Like the other apps, Bro Throw has had a big week.

"So far, yeah, today's Friday. You know, Thursday and Friday are the two biggest days of the tournament. We look at numbers sort of in real time throughout these days. And we are seeing double digit growth over last year which is kind of where we want to be," Sharp said. 

After this month, Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, says it is estimating the state to get over 500 million dollars in sports betting revenue for 2024.

"March 2024 is going to be the biggest month we've ever had since sports betting was legalized back in 2018," Hardin said.

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