Officials at Oaklawn maintain their games are “electronic games of skill,” and not casino games. Watch this interview below; look at the machines in the footage; and then decide whether or not these look like games you would see in a casino.
In 2005 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 1151 authorizing West Memphis and Hot Springs to call special elections regarding “electronic games of skill” at their horse and greyhound tracks.
We said in 2005 that this legislation could make Oaklawn and Southland into de facto casinos. At the time we were assured casino-style gambling would not happen there—that each game would be electronic and involve some degree of skill on the part of the player. Within months of Act 1151’s passage, however, both tracks had casino-style games.
“Casino-style gambling wagers at Oaklawn and Southland topped $1.3 billion during the first 6 months of 2012,” reports Roby Brock with Talk Business. Brock goes on to say that both establishments are “on course to easily surpass $2.5 billion in full-year wagers if current trends continue.”