Blackjack in Arkansas: The Three Live Pits and the Amendment That Created Them [2026]

Live blackjack is younger in Arkansas than most players assume. Until November 2018 the state had two racetracks running what the statute called electronic games of skill, which meant a screen dealing a hand of twenty-one rather than a dealer doing it with cards. Amendment 100, passed by voters that month, wrote four casino licences into the state constitution and with them the right to deal a real hand. Three of those four floors were built, and those three are the only places in Arkansas where a live blackjack table exists.

The three pits

All three run 24 hours a day, every day. The minimum age is 21 at every table in the state, and it is checked with photo identification at the pit as well as the door.

Which pit to drive to

Geography decides this more than anything on a felt. Southland sits in West Memphis, about seven minutes across the Mississippi from downtown Memphis, and has the largest pit in Arkansas at roughly fifty tables. It is the deepest bench for a player who wants a choice of tables at a busy hour, and its High Limit Room has no equivalent in the state. The trade-off is that its traffic follows Memphis, so a Friday or Saturday night can be shoulder to shoulder and a Tuesday afternoon can feel empty.

Saracen at Pine Bluff is the most convenient floor for Arkansas's own population, about forty-five minutes south-east of Little Rock, and it sits inside a property that grew through a roughly $250 million expansion. We checked the table lists at all three floors in September 2026, and for anyone who wants variety rather than volume Saracen is the best choice. Roughly thirty tables cover blackjack alongside baccarat, craps, roulette and super four, and the Saracen Poker Room is the only dedicated card room in the state. If you like moving between a blackjack seat and a poker table in one visit, this is the only building in Arkansas where that is possible.

Oaklawn in Hot Springs has about thirty tables and no poker room. It is the best-rated of the three and the one with a reason to visit beyond the felt, because the live thoroughbred meet runs from early December to early May. Play there on a race day and the pit is a second act rather than the main event.

What to check before you sit down

Minimums move with the hour and the day, and none of the three publishes them in advance. Expect the posted minimum to move a long way: the same seat that carries a $10 minimum on a Tuesday afternoon can carry a $25 minimum on a Saturday night. Walk the pit and read the signs before you buy in.

The rule set matters more than the minimum for anyone playing seriously. Look at whether the dealer stands on soft seventeen, how many decks are in the shoe, whether doubling after a split is permitted and whether the table pays three to two or six to five on a natural. Those four details vary by table within the same casino, not just between casinos, and they are posted on the felt or on the table sign. A six-to-five table at a lower minimum is usually the worse seat.

Electronic blackjack is still everywhere

Both racetrack properties kept their electronic terminals when the live pits opened, and the two products sit in the same building. An electronic twenty-one terminal has a lower minimum, no dealer and a faster pace, which suits some players and is a different game in practice. If you specifically want a dealt hand, look for the pit rather than the bank of screens, because the signage does not always distinguish them.

The fourth floor that never opened

Amendment 100 authorised a casino in Pope County as well. The licence was awarded to Cherokee Nation Entertainment in June 2024 for a planned resort at Russellville, and five months later voters passed Issue 2, now Amendment 104, repealing it and requiring a countywide election before any new casino is licensed anywhere in the state. A federal judge dismissed the tribe's challenge in August 2025 and an appeal is pending. Until that resolves, three pits is the whole list. Our Arkansas casinos guide covers the licences in full.

Playing from home instead

Arkansas does not license real-money online casinos, so there is no regulated live-dealer product to play from a sofa here. Sweepstakes casinos run on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model and are what most players use online; our Arkansas rankings cover the platforms that accept the state and payout times covers redemption speed.

Frequently asked questions

Where can you play live blackjack in Arkansas?

At three casinos: Southland in West Memphis, Saracen in Pine Bluff and Oaklawn in Hot Springs.

Which Arkansas casino has the most tables?

Southland Casino Hotel, with about fifty, the largest pit in the state.

How old do you have to be to play blackjack in Arkansas?

21 at every table. Lottery and pari-mutuel wagering are 18.

Is there a casino in Little Rock?

No. The nearest pit is Saracen at Pine Bluff, about forty-five minutes south-east.

Which Arkansas casino has poker?

Only Saracen Casino Resort, which runs the state's only dedicated poker room.