Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has signed legislation that will make sports betting and paid fantasy sports officially legal within the state.
House Bill 2772, first introduced in February, will allow Arizona consumers to bet on sports at tribal casinos and sites owned by major league sports teams.
DraftKings recently signed a deal to open a retail sportsbook at the TPC Scottsdale PGA Tour venue, whilst FanDuel yesterday announced signed a similar deal with the Phoenix Suns Arena.
“As we gear up to bring our best-in-class online and retail offerings to the state of Arizona, this is a momentous time for FanDuel, the Suns, and Suns fans alike,” said Mike Raffensperger, FanDuel group chief marketing officer. “We’re excited to open a luxury sportsbook within Phoenix Suns Arena, as the beginning of a long-term and innovative collaboration that will have a lasting impact on the state.”
The tribal-state gaming compact previously in place was due to expire in the next few years, but the implementation of House Bill 2772 will update this agreement.
“This is a once-in-a-generation milestone for tribal nations, their communities, and the entire state of Arizona — and I’m proud to sign a gaming compact amendment and associated legislation that will benefit people in every corner of our state,” Ducey said.
“I can’t overstate the impact the tribal-state gaming compact amendment and its associated legislation will have on our state. Today’s signing is a culmination of years of partnership and engagement among many diverse stakeholders — and we did it by bringing everyone to the table, pushing individual agendas aside, and putting Arizona first.”
Under the new agreement, gaming facilities will provide tribes with funding in exchange for a contribution of tribal gaming revenue to pay for regulatory costs.
Furthermore, the number of gaming devices that a tribe is permitted operate will increase whilst remaining limited.
A system allowing tribes to transfer gaming device allocation to other tribes that have valid and effective tribal-state compacts will remain in place.