Arizona Sports Betting

In April 2021, the state of Arizona legalized sports betting with 17 sportsbooks now being available to betting fans.  So what does the state’s online betting market look like? Read on for an overview of sports betting in Arizona.

Is It Legal To Bet on Sports in Arizona?

Yes, in April 2021, Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law that would bring legal sports betting to the state of Arizona. 

The first legal sports betting transaction took place on 9 September 2021, right in time for the start of the NFL season. Since then, all the AZ sportsbooks and retail sports betting venues have been jostling to make their mark on this new territory – with sportsbooks such as BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesar’s Sportsbook to name just a few. Whatever they’ve been doing has worked, with Arizona sportsbooks receiving wagers totaling $1.75bn for just the first four months of action.

Under the state’s sports betting legislation, 20 sports betting licenses were made available which means that residents have plenty of legal betting options through the various Arizona sports betting sites or venues.

In addition, and unique to certain states in the US, betting on college sports has been made legal in Arizona – this is sure to come as great news for college sports fans of the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Grand Canyon Antelopes, and Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.

Arizona’s sports betting market includes the state’s tribe-owned casinos and major professional sports teams meaning that both federally recognized Tribes and online gambling operators that partner with professional sports teams can apply for a sports betting license.

Where Can I Bet on Sporting Events in Arizona?

Under the Arizona gambling laws, bettors are able to place wagers with online sports betting apps, as well as in-person at land-based casino sportsbooks across the state.

Up to 20 sports betting licenses have been made available as of June 2022, with ten of these being set aside for the state’s major sports teams. These licenses allow sports teams to run sports betting operations at their facilities, as well as team up with sportsbook operators at their venues and land-based casinos.

The remaining licenses have been allocated to federally-recognized tribes located in the state. Tribes that operate more than one casino are able to offer sports betting at all of their facilities as long as the group holds a license – on this subject there have been many contentions and stipulations along the way, and the context of tribal casino sportsbook offerings is still something of a sticking point. 

AZ Sports Betting Sites

Under the state’s betting laws, there are 20 sports betting licenses up for grabs, with 10 being made available to the state’s tribal operators and 10 for professional sports teams.

In total, 18 out of 20 of the licenses have been awarded. The list of approved operators and their partners include:

• Bally Bet and WNBA‘s Phoenix Mercury;
• Barstool Sportsbook and Phoenix Raceway;
• BetFred and the Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation;
• BetMGM and NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and Gila River Tribe;
• BetRivers and the Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers;
• Betway and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe;
• Caesars Sportsbook and MLB‘s Arizona Diamondbacks;
• Desert Diamond Sports and Tohono O’odham Tribe;
• DraftKings Sportsbook and TPC Scottsdale;
• FanDuel Sportsbook and NBA‘s Phoenix Suns;
• Fubo Gaming and the Ak-Chin Indian Community;
• Golden Nugget and the Hualapai Tribe;
• Hard Rock Sportsbook and Navajo Nation;
• SuperBook and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe;
• TwinSpires and the Tonto Apache Tribe;
• Unibet and the Quechan Tribe;
• WynnBet and the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Which Sports Can I Bet On?

As with all state legalized sports betting, there is a huge range of events with which sports bettors can get involved – this can be in-person, or via one of the many mobile sports betting facilities offered by the best sports betting sites. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular sports available for betting fans.

American Football

From their grounds at State Farm Stadium, the Arizona Cardinals play in the NFL, making them the main team most Arizona sports fans are familiar with. However, they aren’t the only football team within the state, with the Arizona Wildcats representing the University of Arizona, the Arizona State Sun Devils playing for Arizona State University, and the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks from Northern Arizona University all participating in NCAA Division 1. 

Unfortunately, the Cardinals have never won the Super Bowl, standing as one of twelve teams never to have achieved the title. On a more positive note, within the state of Arizona, it’s legal to bet on college sports meaning there’s still plenty of opportunity to participate in this nationally loved sport.

Baseball

Arizona has one MLB team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who play at Chase Field in Phoenix. More informally known as the D-backs, the professional baseball franchise succeeded in winning the World Series in 2001 by beating the New York Yankees to the title. What was most impressive with this achievement was that it was only their fourth year in Major League Baseball. Now wouldn’t that have been a great bet to make at the time? 

Basketball

The Phoenix Suns represent Arizona in the NBA at the Footprint Center, as part of the Western Conference Pacific Division. Sadly, the Suns have never won an NBA Championship, however, they have reached three finals in 1976, 1993, and 2021. Despite the lack of trophies, it’s an impressive achievement that eleven Suns players have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, including Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, the latter of whom joined the Suns midway through the 2007-2008 season.

Golf

Arizona is a popular venue for golf fans, with courses and annually-held international PGA Tour tournaments such as the WM Phoenix Open held at TPC Scottsdale. Some of the best golf courses can be found in Arizona, such as the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale, and Quintero Golf Club in Peoria, just outside Phoenix. There’s a multitude of Arizona-based golf betting opportunities, so read through some of our recommended online sportsbook sites and see which takes your fancy.

Other Sports 

Of course, there are a whole host of other sports to be found on Arizona sports betting sites, such as motor racing. NASCAR, for example, is held at sites such as Phoenix Raceway, a one mile tri-oval race track based in Avondale, near Phoenix. With a wide range of events, take a look at your favorite Arizona online gambling sites to see what odds and betting markets are available for the next race. The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship was held in Arizona in 2022, and was won by Joey Logano after 312 laps of the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale. 

What Bets Can I Make?

With such a selection of sporting options available via Arizona sports betting sites, you will, of course, find an array of betting types available that will suit your style of play. Often betting types differ between each site, so it’s worth exploring what’s available from your sportsbook – in-person, via a sportsbook app, or through an online site. Let’s break down some of the most common types of bets available to sports bettors so it’s clear from the outset.

Moneyline

Starting with the simplest type of bet, a moneyline is where a wager is placed on who will win the game. Perhaps you think Kyler Murray is going to have the game of his life, leading to a win for the Cardinals against the Los Angeles Rams. A moneyline bet is simply that – betting on a Cardinals win. If, for example, you bet on the favorite to win, and they are listed as -100 on the odds against a $100 bet, you will need to wager $100 in order to win the $100, equalling a $200 payout from the bookies. 

Point Spread

A point spread bet allows the bettor to wager on how many points, in total, a team will win or lose by. Again, the system uses a + or – symbol to indicate the favorite and the underdog, followed by a points suggestion of what the bookmaker thinks that particular team will win or lose by. So for example, if you are looking at BetMGM sportsbook odds, you may see +1.5/-1.5 for a game between Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. This means that Colorado is the underdog in this pairing by a possible 1.5 goals or fewer, in contrast, Tampa are the favorites which is denoted by the -1.5 starting point.  

Prop Bets

Prop bets, short for proposition bets, can vary from each sport due to the nature of the context. This type of bet does not relate to the outcome of a sporting event, but can instead focus on other elements of the game. For example, let’s take the Super Bowl. Before the game’s even begun, you can place a prop bet on the coin toss, winning on heads or tails before a ball is even thrown. What’s fun with Super Bowl prop bets is that you can literally bet on anything, even things like how long it will take the singer to sing the national anthem before the game kicks off. 

Parlays 

Parlay bets can be really exciting, and it’s possible to customize a parlay to be low risk or aim for a big payout, through a more complex, high risk combination. This type of bet involves a selection of outcomes all coming true in order for you to win. For example, you may bet on the Cardinals winning against the New York Giants, alongside another bet of The Wildcats beating the Houston Cougars, and finally the Coyotes defeating the Nashville Predators. To win your parlay, all three results will need to come true. Of course, there are distinctions and ways of adapting a parlay, so read through each possibility with the different Arizona sportsbooks before placing a bet.

Can I Bet on Mobile in Arizona?

Mobile betting offers the chance to research odds, place a bet or check on your account from wherever you are. With the legalization of Arizona gambling laws, you will find that all of the best Arizona online gambling sites offer decent mobile capabilities, and many even have personal apps that you can download to your smartphone. Alongside the flexibility, and the ability to access up to the minute betting odds, there are several other reasons why mobile betting is beneficial:

• Accurate market monitoring;
• Payment transactions can be smoother more secure;
• Easy access to deposits and withdrawals;
• Easy access to your account details and transactions.

Arizona Sports Betting Apps

With mobile apps there are even more benefits, customization options and unique odds available to the user.

Some of the benefits of using a mobile app can be:

• Faster loading;
• Push notifications alerting you to the best deals on offer;
• A site that’s perfectly customized to your mobile phone;
• An easy to use format that’s designed for smaller screens.

Apps are available on both iOS and Android, so all you need to do is download the relevant version for your phone. All of the best Arizona gambling sites are constantly updating their app capabilities so will offer up-to-date features and benefits for the individual user. Check out sites such as DraftKings, Caesars, and BetMGM for the best betting bonuses and other features that are specific to their apps. 

Arizona sports betting revenue

Arizona legalized sports betting in April 2021 after Governor Doug Ducey signed the state’s sports betting legislation into law. Following a lengthy launch process, the state of Arizona saw sports betting go live in September 2021. Online and retail sports betting at land-based casinos in the state is legal under state law.

Figures come from the Arizona Department of Gaming portal.

Last updated on 10th January 2022

What Else Can I Bet on in Arizona?

In Arizona, residents can participate in a variety of gambling activities. The state lottery offers a selection of lottery games that include interstate draws. Residents can also play bingo games that are hosted by tribal groups and charitable organizations.

As an alternative to real-money online gambling, residents can play at online social casino sites for fun. You cannot win real money prizes at these sites. Several casinos in the state operate social casino sites such as Casino del Sol, Talking Stick Casino and the Desert Diamond Casinos. You also have the standard range of online social casino games offered by Zynga, Slotomania and Big Fish.

There are about 16 federally recognized tribes that operate 24 casinos with Las Vegas-style gambling. At these venues, you can enjoy a variety of games such as slots, poker and blackjack.

Here’s a comprehensive list of casinos that currently operate in Arizona:

Are Offshore Gambling Sites Legal in Arizona?

Offshore gambling sites exist as a grey area in Arizona, as Arizona’s laws do not address any form of online gambling. Although offshore gambling is not explicitly illegal, we recommend staying well away from these offshore platforms, as they are not regulated or licensed to operate in the state of Arizona. This means they may not be secure or may not have measures in place to protect vulnerable players. You also have no way of knowing who is handling the money you deposit into these online accounts.

You can identify an offshore gambling site by its website domain name. If you see a domain that ends in .EU or .AG, it does not hold a license to operate in Arizona and therefore should be avoided at all costs.

Is It Safe To Bet on Sports in Arizona?

The rules and regulations around sports betting and gambling in Arizona are strict and place an emphasis on player safety and security. Although regulations are in place to protect players, it is still up to players to ensure they gamble responsibly and never bet more than they can afford to.

If you’re worried that you or someone you know may be at risk of developing a gambling problem, you can access several resources from the National Council on Problem Gambling. Arizona residents also have access to the Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling, a non-profit organization that aims to educate and help prevent the spread of problem gambling.

You can contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline via:

Call: 1-800-522-4700

Text: 1-800-522-4700

Live chat

You can contact the Arizona Council on Compulsive Gambling Via:

Phone: 1-480-802-4945

Email: [email protected]

Helpline: 1-800-777-7207

Who Regulates Gambling in Arizona?

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) is the state agency responsible for regulating tribal gambling, pari-mutuel racing, and wagering, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The ADG was established in 1995 after the state recognized the growing tribal gambling market would require an independent regulatory body.

How Old Do I Have To Be To Gamble in Arizona?

Arizona residents must be at least 18 years of age to purchase a lottery ticket or partake in charitable gambling. In order to gamble at one of the state’s casinos or bet online, you must be 21 years old.

The Journey to Legal and Regulated Sports Betting in Arizona

1912 – Arizona became a state. The state laws banned all forms of gambling where the house could make a profit. However, exceptions were made for social gambling, where no one makes a profit.

1980 – The Arizona legislature approved a state lottery.

1988 – Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulation Act (IGRA), establishing rules and regulations for tribal gaming operations.

1990 – At this point, the tribes were able to approach the state legislature to discuss the compact agreements for gambling. However, some tribes decided to go ahead and launch gambling operations in their venues without negotiating compacts with the state.  This led to an intense legal dispute between the tribes and Governor Fyfe Symington.

Several other tribes began to discuss the possibility of entering state-tribal compacts for gambling in Arizona.

1992 – Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) prohibiting sports betting across US states. Four states were made exempt from the law: Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. These states had legal sports betting regulations in place.

The same year, the National Indian Gaming Commission stated that the tribes must have a state-tribe compact in order to offer slot machines. After this statement was made, Symington asked the FBI to raid the casinos that offered gambling.

A casino operated by the Yavapai Indians on the Fort McDowell reservation that had about 300 slot machines was one of the last casinos to be raided by the FBI. As several other casinos were raided, the tribe prepared themselves.

After the machines were loaded into trailers, the tribe blocked the only road out of the casino with large vehicles and heavy machinery. This led to an eight-hour standoff between the FBI and the tribe. In the end, the FBI left the machines for a cooling-off period that lasted three weeks.

This put pressure on the governor to negotiate the tribe and state compacts.

1994 – By 31 December, 16 tribes entered compacts with the state and 10 casinos were in operation. These compacts allowed the tribes to offer casino gambling and slot machines.

1995 – The Arizona legislature created the Arizona Department of Gaming to oversee gambling activity in the state.

2003 – Tribal-state compacts were renewed, and five additional tribes entered agreements with the state. This brought the total number of federally recognized tribes that conducted gambling operations to 21.

2018 – On 14 May, the Supreme Court reached a decision on the legality of PASPA. In a 7 – 2 vote it was agreed that one of the clauses in PASPA violated the Tenth Amendment, as its commandeered power from states to regulate their own gambling industries. This paved the way for all US states to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting. In the weeks after the repeal of PASPA a number of US sportsbooks launched across the country.

2019 – In January state lawmakers introduced a bill that would grant the tribes with gambling operations in Arizona the exclusive right to offer sports betting.

2020 – In February, two lawmakers introduced SB 1525 in an effort to legalize sports betting in the state. The bill would also have allowed tribal groups to offer sports betting offsite from their reservations which is a violation of the current rules for tribal gambling.

2021 – On 14 January, Governor Doug Ducey called for the legalization of sports betting to help revitalize the state’s gambling market during his State of the State address.

In March, the House of Representatives approved HB 2772 by a vote of 48-12. Under this bill, sports betting would become legal in the state of Arizona.

On 12 April, the Senate approved HB 2772 by a vote of 23-6 before sending it to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. Then on 15 April, Governor Dough Ducey signed the bill into law, paving the way for sports betting to launch in Arizona.

In May, the US Department of the Interior approved the new tribal compacts between the state and its tribal gambling partners.

In June, the Arizona Department of Gaming set a 9 September 2021 launch date for sports betting in the state. The regulator also announced a public comment period for sports betting rules and regulations.

On 17 June, the first draft of rules for sports betting in Arizona was released and made available for public comment. Industry stakeholders published written comments on 28 June.

In July the state regulator published a proposed tax rate and licensing fee structure for sports betting and held a public comment session to discuss the second draft of sports betting rules. Later on in this, the regulator also held a discussion on license allocation and clarified the rules around this.

On 26 July, the state regulator opened its two-week application period for sports betting licenses.

Following this, Arizona was ready to launch sports betting in time for the 2021 NFL season.

Throughout August, several high-profile US sportsbooks announced market access deals with sports teams and tribal groups located in the state. This included BetMGM and the Arizona Cardinals and Betfred and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

On 17 August, the state regulator revealed that there were more than 10 tribal sports betting applications. Under the state regulation, 10 licenses would be made available to tribes and another 10 were allocated to sports teams.

On 27 August, the Arizona Department of Gaming revealed that 18 out of a potential 20 licenses had been awarded to sports betting operators and their partner organizations. On the same day, two lawsuits were filed against the state regulator that had the potential to delay the launch of sports betting in Arizona.

On 28 August, the state’s legal daily fantasy sports market went live, and approved sportsbooks began signing up customers.

On 6 September, the lawsuit filed by the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe which sought to delay the launch of sports betting in Arizona was dismissed by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Smith. 

On 9 September 2021, Arizona launched its legal and regulated sports betting market. The market went live with the launch of Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, Unibet, and WynnBet.

On 27 September, the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe submitted an amended complaint to the Maricopa County Superior Court in an attempt to stop sports betting. However, two other tribes filed motions to intervene in an effort to have the case dismissed.

In October, the Arizona Department of Gaming approved Rush Street Interactive to offer sports betting in Arizona. Rush Street’s BetRivers Sportsbook secured entry into the market via a deal with the Indoor Football League‘s Arizona Rattlers.

On 1 November, a motion to stay the lawsuit against Arizona sports betting was filed by the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, and the defendants, Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Department of Gaming Director Ted Vogt. Both the Tribe and the defendants asked for a 60-day stay so that they could resolve the issue outside of court.

On 8 November, Rush Street Interactive launched its full BetRivers Sportsbook in the state of Arizona, becoming the ninth sportsbook to launch in the state.

On 23 November, Betfred Sports launched eight sports betting kiosks at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort. The resort is owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Betfred’s partner for sports betting in Arizona.

On 8 December, the Paradise Casino in Yuma opened a retail Unibet-branded sportsbook. Unibet secured online market access in Arizona through a deal with the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation.

Then, on 13 December, the Arizona Department of Gaming approved Superbook Sports for sports betting in the state. Superbook became the tenth sportsbook to launch in Arizona and gained access to the state via a deal with the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.

On 20 December, the streaming platform Fubo launched its Fubo Sportsbook product in the state. This marked the brand’s second state after debuting in Iowa earlier in the year. Fubo secured market access via an agreement with the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

On 31 December, the Arizona Department of Gaming published sports betting figures for the first two months of legal betting in the state. Arizona’s debut month of September marked an all-time high in the US for first-month sports betting handle with sportsbooks taking $291.2m in bets. In October, betting handle hit $486.1m, making Arizona the seventh-largest US betting state for the month.

2022 – On 5 January, the Arizona Coyotes announced plans to launch SaharaBets in partnership with Meruelo Gaming. Meruelo Gaming, which owns the Sahara Las Vegas and Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, is owned by Alex Meruelo, owner of the Coyotes.

On 14 January, Cliff Castle Casino opened a new retail sportsbook, run by IGT‘s Playsports.

On 18 January, Betfred Sports launched its online sportsbook in the state of Arizona, becoming the 13th online sportsbook to operate in the state.