Following the example of many other states around the US, Arizona is one of the latest states to have legalized sports betting. However, unlike many other states where sports betting was already legal in retail outlets, Arizona had an outright ban on the whole operation.
But now, both retail and online sports betting has been allowed to operate as of September 9th, 2021. The process, however, began many years earlier as lawmakers have pushed persistently to bring sports betting to the masses.
When Did The Process Begin?
It was way back in April 2021, that Governor Doug Ducey first signed the legal operation of sports betting businesses into law. The Arizona Senate held a vote for House Bill 2772, which was voted on and passed with a 23-6 margin. However, it wasn’t a simple affair.
In order to get support for the Bill, Ducey had to negotiate with Arizona tribes. This is because gambling had previously been allowed on Native American land, but their contracts didn’t include the legal operation of sports betting. Therefore, new contracts were drawn up to allow these sites to include sports betting alongside their casino operations.
Once terms there had been agreed upon, registration was then opened for other sports betting businesses on August 28th, ahead of the official launch the following month.
Which Sportsbooks Are Legal in Arizona?
Initially, it was BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel who managed to launch their apps first, thanks to the fact they already operate in a number of states across the US. Nonetheless, since the initial launch date, many others have joined and there are now 18 sportsbooks operating online with more available including retail locations.
Here is a full list of all online sportsbooks, and physical locations they are based (if they have one), as well as the dates that they launched:
| Sportsbook | Physical Venue | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|
| Barstool Sportsbook | Phoenix Raceway | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| BetMGM Sportsbook AZ | State Farm Stadium / Gila River Casinos | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| Caesars Sportsbook AZ | Chase Field | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook AZ | TPC Scottsdale | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| FanDuel Sportsbook AZ | Footprint Center | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| Unibet Sportsbook AZ | Paradise Casino | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| WynnBet AZ | Apache Gold Casino / Apache Sky Casino | Sept. 9, 2021 |
| TwinSpires Sportsbook | Mazatazl Hotel and Casino | Sept. 16, 2021 |
| BetRivers Arizona | Footprint Center | Oct. 22, 2021 |
| SuperBook Sports | Spirit Mountain Casino | Dec. 17, 2021 |
| Fubo Sportsbook | Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino and Resort | Dec. 20, 2021 |
| SaharaBets | N/a | Jan. 12, 2022 |
| Betfred Sports Arizona | We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort | Jan. 18, 2022 |
| Hard Rock Sportsbook | N/a | Jan. 27, 2022 |
| Golden Nugget Arizona | N/a | Feb. 3, 2022 |
| Desert Diamond Digital | Desert Diamond Casinos | Feb. 13, 2022 |
| Betway | N/a | Feb. 21, 2022 |
| Bally Bet | Footprint Center | Feb. 2022 |
What Other Activities Are Legal?
In addition to retail and online sports betting being legalized, the legislation also allowed for the legalization of daily fantasy sports too. This will have been music to the ears of the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel who both operated fantasy sports sites, long before they launched their sports betting operations. As yet, though, few have tried to challenge these two giants of the fantasy sports industry, with businesses focusing on the sports betting market.
