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When Will Arizona Launch Online Sports Betting?

Arizona sports betting apps will officially launch on September 9th, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming. It will coincide with the start of the 2021 NFL football season.

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On April 12, 2021, the state legislature passed a bill to legalize mobile betting in Arizona. Governor Doug Ducey added his signature to the bill on April 15, making legalization official. The final major procedural hurdle was that the US Department of Interior needed to sign off on the Arizona Gaming Compact between the state and Native American tribes. This approval came on May 24. The Arizona Department of Gaming are in the middle of finalizing rules and regulations and licensing procedures to ensure the launch of the first app by the target date of September 9.

Arizona Sports Betting Launch Updates

• July 26 – The Arizona Department of Gaming has submitted its final draft of Arizona sports betting to the Secretary of State. License applications are now on the ADG site.
• July 21 – Barstool Sportsbooks announces a partnership with NASCAR, which owns and operates Phoenix Raceway.
• July 19 – PointsBet partners with Cliff Castle Casino Hotel.
• July 2 – WynnBet announces partnership with the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
• June 30 – The Phoenix Mercury has become the first women’s sports team to partner with a sportsbook. The Mercury announces a partnership with Bally’s Bet.
• June 16 – First set of Arizona sports betting rules and regulations draft is released and open to public comment.
• June 2 – The Arizona Department of Gaming announces that sports betting will launch in Arizona on September 9, the same day the NFL kicks off its season.
• April 15 – Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signs the Arizona sports betting bill. Partnerships are starting to form between sportsbooks and local sports franchises and casinos.

Best Arizona Sportsbook Apps Launching on September 9th

When Arizona launches legal sports betting on September 9, the industry will likely explode. That’s because Arizona is home to several professional sports teams that each have small armies of fans, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Coyotes, and Arizona Phoenix Suns.

Let’s take a look at some of the sportsbooks most likely to launch in this state.

FanDuel Arizona

FanDuel is another high-quality sportsbook and DraftKings’ match. It offers live streaming, deep betting markets for American professional, collegiate, and foreign sports, and a fantastic opening bonus worth up to $1000 that’s perfect for new wagerers. Plus, on April 15, 2021, FanDuel announced a partnership with the Phoenix Suns to solidify its commitment to the Arizona market. 

FanDuel offers a streamlined and slick mobile app and desktop interface. Alongside regular gameday promotions, FanDuel offers special bonuses for long-time players as well.

It’s a particularly good sportsbook for fans of varied wager types and new betting pools.

BetMGM Arizona

BetMGM has a slightly larger opening bonus worth up to $500, as well as very player-friendly odds. Common and exotic wager types are represented, including proposition, parlay, and point spread bets for most major sports leagues.

It offers wide betting markets and a huge range of different wagering opportunities for a variety of sports, and not just American professional leagues. The mobile app features a minimalist interface that is easy to navigate and understand, even if you haven’t used a sportsbook before. It also offers an instant swipe betting slip so you can quickly access your current wagers.

DraftKings Arizona

DraftKings is one of the biggest sportsbook operators in the country. It’s based in Boston but has a major presence in practically every state that allows legal sports betting, either in online or retail formats.

This operator offers a fantastic mobile app that includes special mobile-only wagers that players can partake in if they download the app to their mobile devices. The operator also provides deep and varied betting markets, both for major American sports leagues and for more niche activities, including cricket, darts, and foreign sports like rugby.

Live streaming and regular promotions make this a solid sportsbook choice for both beginners and sports betting veterans.

DraftKings entered into a partnership with TPC Scottsdale, who hosts PGA Tournaments. This makes TPC Scottsdale one of the commercial entities able to apply for a license from the ADG.

Receive a $50 free bet with $5 deposit

DraftKings Sportsbook is offering an exclusive bonus offer for new players. Receive a $50 free bet when you deposit $5 or more to. This exclusive deal is available to all those joining DraftKings Sportsbook for the first time.

If you want to continue using the sportsbook, new players can receive a 20% deposit match up to $1,000 with the standard welcome bonus offer. If you plan on betting at DraftKings Sportsbook for the long term, then you’ll probably benefit from opting into both offers. Terms and conditions apply.

BetRivers

BetRivers offers a relatively smaller opening bonus in the form of a deposit match up to $250. But it offers player-friendly odds and regular weekend odds specials, making it a great sportsbook to download and use on the weekend, especially for proposition bet types.

It includes good market depth and variety, especially for professional US sports like football and basketball. The mobile app is one of the best in the industry in that it was designed for mobile users first and foremost, instead of being a desktop port of an existing sportsbook interface.

The app comes with special features like a dedicated search bar and a “live right now” section to take you to live sports competitions for fast wagers.

William Hill & Caesars Sportsbook

William Hill first launched in Europe before coming to the US, so it has greater market depth and variety for many European sports leagues compared to other American-focused platforms.

It also offers a mobile-friendly website and a good mobile app, which itself comes with an intuitive interface and layout. Unfortunately, this is one of the few mobile apps that doesn’t allow live streaming of games directly to your screen, but it’s an otherwise excellent operator nonetheless.

In early 2021, Caesars completed its acquisition of William Hill and announced it will be rebranding William Hill sportsbooks as Caesars Sportsbook in the Fall of 2021.

Caesars has announced a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino to bring its sports betting app and retail sportsbooks to Arizona.

WynnBET

Offering highly competitive odds, WynnBET offers an impressive list of sporting events to wager on. The sportsbook offers a sign-up bonus for $500, but doesn’t offer many promotions other than that.

The mobile app is solid and user-friendly, but it has a specific app for each state, so make sure you are downloading the correct app.

WynnBET released announced a partnership with San Carlos Apache Tribe. Operating two casinos in the state, Apache Gold Casino Resort and Apache Sky Casino, this gives bettors another opportunity for sports betting in Arizona.

In addition to these sportsbooks, Bally’s Corporation announced a partnership with The Phoenix Mercury and Unibet (Kindred Group) partnered with the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, which operators Paradise Casino in Yuma.

Additional Sportsbooks Launching In Arizona

• Bally’s Corporation has partnered with the Phoenix Mercury. A retail sportsbooks is planned near the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
• Unibet (Kindred Group) recently partnered with the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe. A retail sportsbook is expected at the Paradise Casino in Yuma.
• Barstool Sportsbook announced a partnership with NASCAR and plans to open a retail sportsbook at Phoenix Raceway.
• PointsBet has partnered with Cliff Castle Casino Hotel in Camp Verde.

Arizona Sports Betting

Arizona is next to the gambling capital of America, Nevada. But despite this proximity, or perhaps because of it, Arizona is comparatively anti-gambling. At least it was historically, until recent changes. 

The state offers no retail casino or sports betting locations, nor any online gambling options, except for the Native American casinos that dot the state.

However, new sports betting legislation was passed by the Arizona House and Senate in April 2021. This sudden and welcome shift for Arizona sports fans means that betting apps are planned to launch this fall, specifically on September 9. 

History Of Gambling And Sports Betting In Arizona

Until recently, Arizona Native American tribes the exclusive rights to operate casinos within this state. Even worse, Arizona is one of the few states that doesn’t allow daily fantasy sports, which is legal in many other states that don’t allow for other gambling activities.

That said, there have been a few attempts to push for sports betting legislation in the past. One bill cropped up in 2019 but was quickly struck down. It has only been this year, in early 2021, when new sports betting bills were proposed in part thanks to the support of Gov. Ducey.

Arizona House Bill 2772 was passed by the House and then the Senate in April 2021. Governor Ducey had to reach a negotiation with Native American tribes before any bill could be passed. This negotiation was approved by the Federal government paving the way for final rules, regulations, and licensing.

Arizona Sports Betting: What To Watch

The mobile sports betting bill passed on April 21, 2021. Gov. Ducey signed off on the bill just 3 days later. The Federal government signed off on the renegotiated agreement with the Native American Tribes.

Now that both the Arizona legislation and gaming compact are official, the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) will establish procedures for licensing and regulation of all sports betting entities in the state. This includes overseeing licensing of both non-tribal and tribal entities who seek to operate mobile betting apps and commercial entities looking to operate retail sportsbook locations.

Non-Tribal Operators Can Seek The Following Licenses

Arizona professional sports teams, sports facilities that host an annual PGA tournament, or a facility that hosts national stock car auto racing events are:

• Allowed to operate mobile sports betting statewide
• Authorized to offer sports wagering at their location or a facility within a 5-block radius of the operator’s sports facility as specified by ADG. This includes retail sportsbooks in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Tribal Operators Can Offer The Following

Any Indian tribe, or entity fully owned by a tribe:

• May apply for one of 10 mobile-only wagering licenses to offer online betting statewide
• May accept in-person wagers on tribal lands based on an agreement between the state and the tribes. There is no need for tribal casinos to apply for licensing to operate retail sportsbooks on tribal lands.

Daily Fantasy Sports Joins Arizona Sports Betting

Daily Fantasy Sports is also coming to Arizona, with a targeted launch date of August 28. With apps like DraftKings and FanDuel, you can have access to Daily Fantasy Sports contests.

Similar to Fantasy sports leagues, DFS gives bettors a chance to wager and earn money against other competitors. But with DFS, you can play daily contests, weekly contests, and even in-game contests. Season-long contests are also available.

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports

Boasts as the leader in one-day fantasy sports, FanDuel makes it easy to play DSF. Download the app, sign up, and pick the contest you want to play. Then, build your team within the designated salary cap given and sit back and watch the game.

FanDuel offers a variety of free and paid ways to play such as beginner mode, friend mode, tournaments, head-to-head, and single games. The beauty of DSF is you can pick a new team every week, so you have new chances to win.

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports

Just like FanDuel, DraftKings offers a handful of different ways to play DSF. And to put your mind at ease, the app offers a safe platform with advanced security to play.

DraftKings offers resources to help new players get started. The app has the option to play 1-day or 1-week contests for cash. It is also easy to invite your friends to join! DraftKings also makes it a breeze to change your lineup whenever you want.

Arizona Sports Betting FAQs