The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has finalized its allocation of operator licenses ahead of the launch of sports betting in the state on 9 September.
Licenses were issues to tribal operators and sports venues, both of which may partner with commercial operators under Arizona’s sports betting laws.
In total, 10 tribal gaming licenses were handed out to tribal operators including the Hualapai Tribe which partnered with Golden Nugget, the Tonto Apache Tribe in association with Churchill Downs Incorporated, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe in tandem with WynnBet.
Eight sports teams or venues were also allocated licenses. Among those were MLB side the Arizona Diamondbacks, which partnered with Caesars/William Hill, and the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers in tandem with Rush Street Interactive (RSI). The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury are working with Bally’s Corporation, and Phoenix Speedway has partnered with Penn National Gaming.
They join BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel which all announced their entrance into the Arizona Market last week.
Fantasy sports betting is already live in Arizona, and licensed operators include DraftKings, FanDuel, FFPC, Yahoo, Fantasy Sports Shark and Underdog Sports.
Arizona department of gaming director Ted Vogt said: “During the rulemaking process for event wagering, the Department made it a priority to gather as much public and stakeholder comment as possible, particularly on aspects such as license allocation.
“The allocation decision we are announcing today is a direct result of these efforts, helping to ensure the impartiality and fairness of the process for all applicants.”
In addition to its partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Caesars announced the launch of its Caesars Sportsbook app within Arizona. A temporary Caesars sportsbook is due to open at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field, making it the first baseball stadium to house a sportsbook.
“We couldn’t be happier to partner with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the state makes this shift into legal sports betting,” said Eric Hession, co-president of Caesars Digital.
“Arizona is the first state where our brand-new Caesars Sportsbook app will be live right as sports betting becomes legalized. We believe our app is the best in the industry, and we are thrilled to launch with a series of exciting offers that Arizonans can trust.”
On the Arizona Rattlers partnership, and the launch of the BetRivers online sportsbook in Arizona, RSI CEO Richard Schwartz said: “We are very excited to bring our BetRivers mobile apps to Arizona together with the Rattlers, which are deeply rooted in the Phoenix community and share RSI’s commitment to excellence.
“Arizonans are accustomed to receiving a championship caliber product on the field with the Rattlers, and we look forward to offering them a similarly high-quality product off the field through our award-winning BetRivers platform and top-notch customer service.”