The most popular sport in the United States to wager. Many states who have recently legalized sports betting set the goal to go live by the fall to take advantage of the action on the gridiron. Arizona had the goal of launching by week one, and after a recent announcement by the Arizona Department of Gaming, this will occur in the state.
The Announcement
The Arizona Department of Gaming announced that people in the state would be able to place bets by week one of the NFL season. Sports betting will go live on September 9, which is when the Dallas Cowboys will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will take place on Thursday night, and the full week one slate will occur a few days later on Sunday.
The Arizona Cardinals, which the AZ Department of Gaming expects to be the most wagered team in the NFL, open their season at the Tennessee Titans on September 12. The specific rules for sports betting in Arizona will be available to the public.
People in the state can comment on the rules from June 14 through the 21. Following the comment period, the Arizona Department of Gaming will amend the rules based on the public’s comments.
The amendments will be filed promptly to assure that sports betting will be live on September 9.
The Framework of Arizona Sports Betting
Governor Doug Ducey signed Arizona sports betting into law on April 15, following the amended tribal compact. The bill legalized sports wagering as well as daily fantasy sports contests.
There could be up to 20 sports betting licenses. These will be split between the tribal nations and the professional sports teams in the state. Sports betting providers will have to financially support people who have gambling problems in Arizona.
The bill also gives off-track betting, and social clubs can now offer Keno games. There were some questions if AZ sports betting was going to launch by September 9.
However, the US Department of Interior announced that they approved the tribal compact on May 24. This date was way earlier than expected, which made September 9 a possibility.
The Sportsbooks Coming to Arizona
There have been three online sportsbook partnerships that have already been created in the state. Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel were the first three books to operate in Arizona.
When Ducey signed sports betting into law, these providers quickly secured market access in the state. DraftKings partnered with the PGA Tour for mobile betting. There will also be a retail book built at TPC Scottsdale in the future.
FanDuel was the second book to secure market access after inking a deal with the Phoenix Suns. The platform will be the official betting partner of the Suns, and the agreement includes a retail sportsbook inside of Phoenix Suns Arena.
The Diamondbacks and Caesars followed the previous two deals on May 6. There will be a retail sportsbook outside of Chase Field in Phoenix, and Caesars has mobile access to the market.
People in the state are very excited to start betting in the next few months. This is going to be a very lucrative industry for the state.
