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Arizona On The Brink Of Legal Sports Betting

Arizona Sports News online

AP Photo/Wayne Parry

AP Photo/Wayne Parry

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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