Arizona Issues Sports Betting Licenses to Four Operators

Four gambling operators have reported that they have been greenlit to run sports betting business in the state of Arizona. The approved operators include BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Penn National. 

Four Lucky Operators Get Some of the Limited Licenses

FanDuel and Penn National shared news of their approval earlier this week. The first of the two operators is partnering with NBA’s Phoenix Suns, while the latter is partnering with Phoenix Raceway. BetMGM and Draft Kings just made the announcement. 

BetMGM’s chief executive, Adam Greenblatt, spoke on his excitement by the state approval. Greenblatt is sure that launching sports betting from day one is a tremendous opportunity to both BetMGM and its Arizona partners: Gala River Hotels & Casinos and the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.

“Through our partnerships with Gila River and the Arizona Cardinals, as well as the benefits of being connected to MGM Resorts properties nationwide, we have many exciting things in store for sports fans in Arizona,” Greenblatt said, suggesting BetMGM has already something great in store for Arizona fans. 

DraftKings, which partners with TPC Scottsdale, made its own announcement on the Twitter page of DraftKings Sportsbook. “See you soon, Arizona!” the short-spoken caption reads, followed by an image that announces, “Hey Arizona, DraftKings Sportsbook is coming soon!”

The legalization of sports betting in Arizona has been making headlines. This interest is sure to get the state a strong lineup of reputable sportsbooks. 

Not Everyone Will Make the Cut

Sports betting was approved by the Arizona government this year and will go live in several days, on September 9 – the same day when the NFL regular season starts. The four bookmakers who were just approved will be able to provide sports betting from day one. 

Despite the state of Arizona progressing quickly with the establishment of sports betting ecosystem, it only has 20 licenses in total. That means that not everyone will be able to get their hands on one. 

Ten of the licenses are reserved for professional sports organizations and the remaining ten for tribal partners. However, there are 22 tribes in Arizona. Sixteen of them have applied for a sports betting license, meaning that six of those Native Indian tribes will be unable to get one. 

All bodies that have been approved for a sports betting license will be announced by the Arizona Department of Gaming by the end of the day. Being able to launch within six months, having a good business track record and local investment commitments will be the criteria that determine who will get a license and who will not.