Legal sports betting has really taken off in the Natural State.
Especially since March, when online wagering on basketball, baseball and other sports became available.
Before that, putting your money down meant a trip to one of the state's three legal sports books physically located in casinos. But the gambling industry wasn't satisfied. The pushed for online betting and state officials who are supposed to regulate that sort of thing (and, we would hope, look out for the state's common folk) went along.
Now all it takes is a few clicks on a tablet or smartphone. According to a press release from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, gamblers set a new state record in June for sports betting, wagering nearly $12 million -- or $400,000 a day.
And more than 75% of that money came from gamblers using mobile apps.
The DFA seems to be happy about the news, but that's understandable since the more money bet, the more the state sees in tax revenue. And this is just the beginning.
The big bonanza is yet to come. College and professional football draw more gambling money than the other sports combined.
We aren't prudes. We understand fans enjoy backing a team for a few bucks or taking a chance on a football pool where a dollar or two can bring in a lot more if luck is on your side.
But the easier the state makes it to bet big money, the more problems that are sure to follow. And nothing is easier than betting on a mobile app, anywhere, anytime. We imagine a lot of misery will come out of this for dedicated gamblers -- or more specifically their spouses and children.
But that genie is out of the bottle now. And the money is too big for any real effort to shove it back in. Heaven protect us from whatever the betting industry comes up with next to drain Arkansans' pockets. Because the state sure as heck won't.