An Arkansas online casino proponent has suggested tying collegiate 50-50 raffles to operators, but a new bill would allow proceeds to go toward name, image and likeness funds without partnering with existing gambling entities.
Arkansas Rep. RJ Hawk last week filed House Bill 1044, which seeks to establish the “Arkansas Sports Raffle Act.” It would allow colleges and universities to hold raffles on game days to raise money for name, image and likeness funds to help pay student-athletes.
Saracen Casino Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa proposed a similar idea to the Arkansas Gaming Commission earlier this year but through legalizing online casino gambling in Arkansas. Hawk’s bill does not allow casinos to work with the schools.
Arkansas fundraising exists
There are already 35 schools using raffles for fundraising in Arkansas, according to KARK. Fifty-fifty raffles are popular at sporting events across the country to raise funds for nonprofits and other causes.
Hawk told the station the raffles are not meant to be gambling.
The casino prohibition inclusion is to remain in line with the constitutional provision to keep gambling in brick-and-mortar casinos.
Saracen’s online casino bid
Saffa has argued for several months that online casino legalization in Arkansas could be implemented without legislative action, just as online sports betting was in 2022. Arkansas’s first casino gambling rules came out in 2019, restricting slots, table games, and sports betting to within the walls of a casino and online poker to within the state’s borders.
In 2022, regulators expanded the borders for online sports betting to state lines, just like online poker.
His 50/50 raffle proposal came at the request of the largest NIL collective in the state. Saffa called it a “caboose bolted on the back of our train,” as they began discussing online gambling.
Arkansas NIL in need?
Earlier this year, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek told the media the school needs $12 million per year to be competitive in the NIL ecosystem.
He suggested that 10,000 Arkansas households could donate $100 a month to make it work.
Despite being a high-profile alumni and football powerhouse, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not a Razorback NIL donor.
