Operator meetings to be held by Arizona Department of Gaming

The implementation of legalized sports betting in Arizona will progress with the next phase set to take place on Wednesday morning.

The Arizona Department of Gaming has scheduled two meetings with potential operators to offer guidance and address any questions regarding the launch process for their sports betting apps in Arizona. The first meeting will be held soon.

The meetings are set for 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and September 1st, in preparation for the launch of Arizona sports betting on September 9th. The state is working to go live in time for the beginning of the 2021 NFL regular season.

Arizona Operator Update

Currently, FanDuel Arizona is the only provider to have received approval from the department to operate as a sports betting and daily fantasy sports provider in the state of Arizona.

FanDuel is preparing for its debut in Arizona.

In addition, the department has given approval for Penn National Gaming and Barstool Sportsbook to provide casino sports betting services in collaboration with Phoenix International Raceway, as stated in an email received on Tuesday.

The approvals were given only a few days prior to the start of legalized daily fantasy sports in Arizona, giving sites the green light to begin operating on Saturday.

26 parties have applied for authorization to offer daily fantasy sports or sports betting in the state. There are a total of 20 licenses available, with an equal split between partnerships with Arizona tribes and professional sports teams.

There were more applicants than available licenses, so the licensing process was extended by eight days.

All applicants will be notified of their licensing status by Friday. Pre-registration and account creation will commence the following day.

Who has applied for a permit?

So far, four pro sports teams in Phoenix – the Suns (FanDuel), Phoenix Mercury (Bally’s), Arizona Diamondbacks (Caesars), and Arizona Cardinals (BetMGM) – have applied for a license.

The Cardinals’ partnership with BetMGM adds to the growing list of Arizona collaborations.

Phoenix Rising FC has formed a partnership with an undisclosed organization, while the TPC at Scottsdale, a renowned PGA Tour location, has joined forces with DraftKings to seek a permit for a sportsbook at the venue.

The Arizona Coyotes are the lone professional sports team in Phoenix that has not yet revealed a sports betting partnership.

Another Tribe Partner Announced

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe-owned Casino Del Sol in Tucson has revealed a collaboration with Scientific Games to introduce the OpenSports betting platform.

Casino Del Sol and Casino of the Sun in Tucson will offer sports betting through the tribe’s sportsbook, SolSports, and Scientific Games, with self-service kiosks conveniently placed throughout the casinos.

The following Arizona tribal partnerships have submitted applications for a sports betting/DFS permit: TwinSpires (Mazatal Hotel & Casino/Tonto Apache Nation), PointsBet (Cliff Castle Hotel/Yavapai-Apache Nation), William Hill/Caesars (Harrah’s AK-Chin Casino), BlueBet (Colorado River Indian Tribes), WynnBet (Apache Gold and Sky casinos/San Carlos Apache), Unibet (Fort Yuma Indian Reservation), and Betfred (Fort McDowell Nation Gila River Community).