LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Fall is football season in Arkansas, and it looks like it is the season for more betting on sports as well.

Sports betting in the state reached a new record in September, with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration reporting that $21.18 million was wagered on sports, bringing in more than $417,000 in tax revenue.

DFA spokesperson Scott Hardin noted that the September total shattered the previous record of $12.6 million set in June of this year.

“We expected to see sports wagers increase in September due to football season,” Hardin said. “However, $21.18 million was a surprise as it surpassed the previous record by more than $8.5 million. On average, $706,000 was wagered on sports daily in September.”

In addition to the return of sports like football, the arrival of mobile sports betting in the state is driving increases in wagering. Officials with the DFA reported that Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff had the highest bet totals with $10.48 million, with almost all of it, $9.54 million, coming through the casino’s app.

Sports betting has been legal in Arkansas since July of 2019, but mobile betting only became legal earlier in 2022. Since sports betting started in the state in 2019, more than $209 million in bets have been placed.