PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — The Friday night lights are in full force and some businesses in Arkansas have been feeling it.
Saracen Casino is seeing its largest sports betting year to date. The sportsbook has been open for more than a year now, and it has definitely been seeing big numbers.
"Sports betting is the second-biggest piece of our revenue. It's actually a bigger part of our revenue than table games," said Carlton Saffa, Chief Marketing Officer for Saracen Casino.
While Saracen is seeing record highs for their sports betting— the state has seen the same too.
"Last year was the biggest. We had 187 million wagered either on-site at the casino or through the apps. That was a record year. We already surpassed that," said Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the state's racing commission.
By the end of July this year, there has been $190 million dollars spent on sports betting, and it will only go up from here.
On top of that, the racing commission added 17 more sports to bet on in Arkansas, like bowling, cornhole, pool, sailing, and volleyball.
Saracen Casino is already getting ahead of the additional choices, and they hope the racing commission will expand to include pickleball.