Posted on: February 24, 2026, 08:02h.
Last updated on: February 24, 2026, 08:02h.
- John Legend is set to perform in Central Arkansas this June
- Legend is scheduled to appear at the brand-new Saracen Casino Resort Event Center
The Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, AR, is preparing to unveil its concert hall with over 1,500 seats in April, featuring a lineup of prominent entertainers. This week, they secured 13-time Grammy Award winner John Legend as their headline performer.
The Saracen Casino is concluding a remarkable $250 million expansion project that brings the Saracen Event Center as well as a 14-story, 320-room hotel to the property. They aim to make Central Arkansas a key destination for national concert tours.
Already, the Saracen Event Center has lined up performances from comedian and former Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones (April 18), funk icons Kool & The Gang (May 9), rock bands Great White & Slaughter (May 16), and country artist Jake Owen (June 4).
With the recent addition of Legend, Saracen has reached a new milestone. John Legend: A Night of Songs & Stories is scheduled for June 13 at 8 pm, with tickets starting at $149 plus applicable fees. Public sales will begin on Friday, February 27, at 10 am CST.
The expansion announcement was made in August 2024, adding a total of 400,000 square feet of indoor space, including the Event Center and hotel, to the casino.
About Saracen
Managed by the Quapaw Nation, Saracen was established through a partnership with Jefferson County. Secured through a statewide ballot initiative in 2018, Jefferson County officials collaborated with the Oklahoma-based tribe to develop and operate this casino hub.
The term “Quapaw” translates to “downstate people,” honoring the tribe’s ancestry, while “Saracen” is named after a French-Quapaw man who observed the displacement of the native Arkansas population to Indian territory in the early 1880s.
Arkansas’ inaugural casino, Saracen opened its doors in October 2020, following a $350 million investment, featuring 1,600 slot machines, 40 live dealer table games, a poker room, and the BetSaracen Sportsbook. Although owned by the Quapaw Tribe, the casino operates as a commercial enterprise.
The Saracen Casino Resort also hosts a variety of dining options, including Red Oak Steakhouse, Legends Restaurant, Saracen Sports Bar, and The Post.
Saracen’s Achievements
Saracen has experienced impressive growth over the last five years. According to Carlton Saffa, the casino’s chief marketing officer, 2025 demonstrated another year of robust performance, as reported in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in January.
Saffa highlighted the continued success of their slot machines, which garnered $164.2 million from players in the past year, reflecting a nearly 9% increase year-over-year, based on $2.15 billion in wagers—up nearly 10%. The sportsbook saw revenues increase by 14% compared to the previous year, with oddsmakers reporting $27.1 million on a handle of $322.3 million.
Currently, Saracen ranks as the second highest-grossing casino in Arkansas, trailing behind Southland in West Memphis, with Oaklawn in Hot Springs coming in third.
Despite authorization for a fourth casino in Pope County in 2018, legal challenges have hindered the issuance of that license for nearly six years.
The Cherokee Nation is preparing to file an appeal regarding a federal ruling last fall, which concluded that a 2024 statewide ballot measure, effectively nullifying the Pope County gaming license, did not infringe on the Cherokee’s constitutionally protected rights.