West Memphis’ Southland Casino became the first Arkansas sports betting site to launch an Apple application on Tuesday, representing the next step for the state’s sportsbooks.
The news comes roughly six weeks after Southland Casino launched Betly Sportsbook’s desktop site, www.Southland.Betly.com, in tandem with the property’s owner, Delaware North.
Southland was one of three Arkansas casinos, along with Pine Bluff’s Saracen Casino Resort and Oaklawn Racing Casino Resorts, that could launch mobile sports betting sites when the state went live in March.
Southland, however, was the only one of the three to go live. Saracen Casino had hoped to launch its mobile site in early March, but posted on social media April 6 it was, “in a waiting game with external vendors.” Oaklawn now says it is targeting early in the third quarter, with a goal to have it up by college football.
With only a desktop site and Android app, Betly Arkansas did more than $3 million in handle during the month of March.
An Application That’s Worth the Wait
The goal for casinos in the Natural State was to get their mobile operations in order before the opening tip of March Madness, in order to capitalize on the Razorbacks’ run through the tournament, though that aim was scuttled by various setbacks.
Luisa Woods, who serves as the vice president of marketing for Delaware North’s gaming division, said Southland’s delayed iOS launch was worth the wait, as it allows the company to be up and running fully in time for the NBA Playoffs and other spring sporting events.
“It took a little time to work through the respective app store processes, but now the Betly.com app is readily available for download, so everyone in Arkansas who wants to can have fun with ongoing pro basketball playoffs and other wagering opportunities,” Woods said in a company press release.
In addition to the desktop and iOS and Android apps, Southland has a Betly retail sportsbook at its West Memphis facility, complete with a full bar and food menu, along with sports betting kiosks for convenient wagering.
$250 Risk-Free Bet for First-Time Arkansas Customers
The folks at Betly Sportsbook are rolling out a $250 risk-free first bet offer to new customers, which allows them to place wagers on anything from auto racing to baseball, basketball, golf, and mixed martial arts and receive that amount if their wager loses.
Betly also features odds boosts and profit boosts on certain bets. And the site has a Thursday parlay insurance offer that allows you to receive a free bet up to $25 if your four-or-more-leg parlay falls one leg short.
