House Bill 1044 in Arkansas, which permits sports raffling, fails

Little Rock, Arkansas – On Wednesday afternoon, the Arkansas Sports Raffle Act, also known as House Bill 1044, was defeated in the House.

The bill would have let Arkansas institutions to hold raffles for a number of reasons, including name, image, and likeness, or NIL, following a long day of evidence from both proponents and opponents.

The bill was presented to the House Rules Committee by State Representative RJ Hawk of House District 81.

The bill would enable Arkansas’s universities to join the more than fifty that currently hold raffles at athletic events to raise money for charitable causes or other causes.

Rep. Hawk stated, “I labeled the state’s right that there are nearly 50 of them doing this, and it’s an arms race, regardless of whether you’re in the Big 12 or the Southeastern Conference.”

While Hawk thinks the law would have benefited student-athletes, not all of the witnesses at the hearing agreed.

“Saracen is in favor of NIL. We are against this bill because it fell far short of what was needed. Additionally, there’s a better approach. “Passing a bad bill has an opportunity cost,” Saracen Casino Resort’s Chief Market Officer, Carlton Saffa, stated.

College athletics has evolved as a result of NIL, and Hawk thinks that this is the instrument that institutions need to be competitive given the changes in college athletics and competition with other schools nationwide.

Rep. Hawk stated, “It’s giving these universities another tool in the toolbox so they can do what they do best, which is fundraise.”

Universities might have held raffles for more than NIL under the measure. The bill also covered the construction and upkeep of facilities, scholarships, and general assistance for the athletic department.

Hawk adds that this law would have offered the greatest opportunity and experience for students attending Arkansas universities.

“These universities put in too much work. They put up too much effort in their fundraising and doing. Regardless of whether they attend UCA, Southern Arkansas, Harding, or U of A, our student athletes should have the finest. This would have given our students the best, which is what they should have,” Rep. Hawk stated.

Saffa, who opposed the law, claims that the language and writing of the bill made him and Saracen opposed, even if they have nothing against collegiate athletics.

“We want to help raise money for NIL and we are all about collegiate sports, but this bill as written needlessly excluded the people who are most willing and able to assist,” Saffa stated.
Even if collegiate athletics is evolving, he hopes Saracen can collaborate with the schools to collect funds for NIL.

Saffa stated, “It is a reality, and if we are to compete, we must be able to operate with a NIL war chest. I hope that at Saracen we are able to help equip the universities with the tools that they need.”

According to Representative Hawk, this may not be the final time a bill of this nature is presented to the Arkansas legislature during this year.

“We didn’t take advantage of the chance to escape and go ahead of this. We’re going to work on a few things, you know. Rep. Hawk stated, “We will try to make it work by bringing it back.”