The sports betting and daily fantasy sports giant DraftKings has extended its deal with the PGA Tour.
The US sports betting giant DraftKings has extended its existing partnership with the PGA Tour in order to secure market access into Arizona.
DraftKings previously teamed up with the PGA Tour in July 2020 in a deal that saw the operator become an official betting operator of the PGA Tour.
This comes as a piece of sports betting legislation was approved by the legislature and sent to the Governor for final approval earlier this week.
DraftKings secures Arizona access
Ahead of the bill’s expected passage into law, DraftKings and the PGA Tour have extended their existing partnership to provide the sportsbook operator with market access for online and land-based betting in the state.
The extended partnership will see DraftKings and the PGA Tour team up to open a land-based sportsbook at the TPC Scottsdale PGA Tour facility in Arizona.
DraftKings will also become the exclusive sports betting partner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open annual golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale. The PGA Tour and DraftKings will also work together on co-marketing initiatives and hospitality experiences in Arizona.
In addition, the sportsbook operator and the PGA Tour will work with the City of Scottsdale and Thunderbirds, to help support economic, tourism, and charitable benefits in the local community.
Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings said: “When DraftKings became the first Official Betting Operator of the PGA Tour last summer, a number of possibilities opened up to innovate together.
“This momentous effort to pursue a first-of-its-kind sportsbook with the PGA Tour is a testament to the vision of both organizations that we believe will ultimately benefit Arizona sports fans who want to legally bet on sports.”
Norb Gambuzza, Senior Vice President of Media and Gaming at the PGA Tour said: “The PGA Tour commends the State of Arizona and Governor Ducey for their forward-thinking approach to legal sports betting.
“We are thrilled to work with DraftKings – along with the City of Scottsdale and the Thunderbirds – to explore a one-of-a-kind sportsbook experience at TPC Scottsdale and the world-class Waste Management Phoenix Open. ‘The People’s Open’ is one of the most attended events in golf and with this announcement we look forward to taking the fan experience to another level.”
Arizona’s progress on sports betting
Earlier this week, Arizona’s Senate passed HB 2772 which would permit online and land-based sports betting in the state as well as daily fantasy sports, and Keno and mobile draws.
The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 23-6 and as it has already been approved by the House of Representatives. The bill is currently awaiting final approval from Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.
In regards to sports betting, the legislation would make 20 licenses for sports betting available. These licenses include online sports betting and land-based operations.
Ten of the licenses would be put aside for major sports teams and would allow them to run sports betting operations and team up with other gambling businesses at their respective venues and land-based locations
The remaining ten licenses would be set aside for the state tribes to run sportsbooks at their more than 20 casinos in the state. Tribal groups that operate more than one gambling location would be able to open land-based sportsbooks at each of them under a single license.
