Arizona On The Brink Of Legal Sports Betting

Story by Brandon Bonaparte 

Monday night, the state of Arizona took another step – and a pivotal one – into legalizing sports betting. In a 23-6 decision, the Arizona Senate passed the sports betting bill. The bill now awaits a signature from Gov. Doug Ducey, who backed it shortly after its passing.

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#BREAKING: Arizona Senate just passed the sports betting bill 23-6. Now it will head to the governor’s desk. @dougducey is expected to sign it into law. #azfamily

— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) April 13, 2021

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Arizona’s newly passed gaming compact is regulated and safe — and it preserves the culture of our great state. Thank you to @TJShopeforAZ, @JeffWeninger, our tribal partners, and everyone who helped lead the effort to get #SB1797 through the legislature. #HB2772

— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) April 13, 2021

This senate approval comes a month after a companion bill was passed by the House. As a result of this passing, daily fantasy sports, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, will now be legal in Arizona as well. 

In addition to legalized sports wagering, casinos in Arizona are expected to now be permitted to offer games such as craps and roulette, allowing them to expand from card games.

This would be allowed through amendments to gaming compacts with tribes in the state, which Ducey is anticipated to sign.

Shortly after this monumental legislative passing, the Twitter birds began to chirp. 

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WELCOME ABOARD ARIZONA

They are legalizing mobile online sports betting & in stadium sportsbooks #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/wu8XIRfrUH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 13, 2021

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Awesome news here in Arizona with sports betting and DFS finally being legalized. I’d expect to see kiosks at TPC Scottsdale during next year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. https://t.co/ZAzuIaXq96

— Bryce Danielson (@BDanielson12) April 13, 2021

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Arizona leaps into the 21st Century. Congratulations to @dougducey who provided the leadership needed to get sports betting (finally) legalized in AZ. Congrats to the Native American tribes who have a new gaming compact to help them serve modern gaming & sports customers. Huge! https://t.co/C2ubqaLVv6

— Thomas Galvin, Maricopa County Supervisor (@ThomasGalvin) April 13, 2021

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We want to thank @JeffWeninger and @TJShopeforAZ for their major efforts supporting legislation that would legalize sports betting and fantasy sports for millions of Arizona’s sports fans. pic.twitter.com/42wgWdHd9G

— DraftKings News (@DraftKingsNews) April 13, 2021

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Sending thanks to @dougducey, @JeffWeninger and @TJShopeforAZ for their efforts in supporting legislation that would legalize both sports betting and fantasy sports for millions of Arizona’s sports fans. pic.twitter.com/XdG6utV1Eq

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 13, 2021

What’s next?

Sportsbooks will now await the approval of their licenses by the Arizona Department of Gaming. Thanks to the total number of votes by the Senate exceeding 20, the time period until Arizonans will first see sports gambling in action will be shortened.

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We're going to have at least 21 votes on the Arizona sports betting bill, allowing officials to expedite the regulatory process. Sports betting backers hope to launch online and retail betting ahead of the 2021 football season.

— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 13, 2021

The number 20 again shows its’ relevance in this bill, as it also represents the number of online sports betting operators permitted. The operators include 10 Native American tribes and 10 professional sports teams.

Arizona professional sports team can now acquire official gaming partners, much like the Pittsburgh Steelers did back in November. The bill also permits in-stadium betting to occur, which may cause sportsbooks to pop up in professional stadiums across the Valley. 

With sports betting likely beginning before the end of 2021, Christmas will come early for resident gamblers of Arizona. The five hour drive to Las Vegas will no longer be necessary to place a four-team parlay on NFL Sunday.