• About Us / Contact
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Massachusetts
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbooks
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Guide To ‘Risk-Free’ Bets
    • Common Beginner Mistakes
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
    • Partnership Tracker
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Massachusetts
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbooks
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Guide To ‘Risk-Free’ Bets
    • Common Beginner Mistakes
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
    • Partnership Tracker
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

One Skin, No Clarity On How To Divvy Up Tribal Sports Betting Licenses in Arizona

Citizens and stakeholders offer state thoughts as it hurtles toward Sept. 9 go-live date

Jill R. Dorson by Jill R. Dorson
June 28, 2021
in Regulation
Road-to-Monument-Valley-Arizona
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The first stakeholder and public comments published by the Arizona Division of Gaming on June 25 generally reflect what stakeholders shared verbally in two meetings earlier in the month: Most support a single digital skin or platform per licensee, horse tracks and OTBs are having a tough time figuring out how they fit into the landscape, and clarification is needed around some definitions and issues.

But the written comments, which were a result of a six-day public-comment period, also include some passionate words from Arizona’s citizens:

“Scumbags profiting from individuals with addiction, and low-intellect,” wrote Michael Norton. “You should all be ashamed, but you’re probably getting kickbacks. Keep selling your citizens out for a buck.”

And Kristopher Murrow clearly wants DraftKings live. “DraftKings should be live before September 9,” he wrote.

No information other than the posters’ names were provided in the comments.

Unfortunately for Murrow, it’s unlikely that DraftKings will get a head start on any of its competitors, as the ADG has set Sept. 9 as the target date to launch as many operators as are ready in the biggest state in the West to legalize sports betting since the fall of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018. Regulators have their work cut out for them; the new law leaves much — including the tax rate (likely 8% to mirror the tribal revenue share to the state), licensing fees, and how to appropriate certain licenses — up to the ADG, which has asked stakeholders for input, but on certain points has received little.

‘Objective criteria’ needed for decisions

The statute allows for a total of 20 mobile and retail “event wagering operator” licenses, to be divided up as 10 for professional sports franchises/venues and 10 for tribal casinos. There are 20-plus tribal casinos in Arizona, so not every tribe or casino will get a license.

So far, the only suggestion from a stakeholder for how to appropriate those licenses came from Chad Riney, senior counsel for Churchill Downs Inc. Riney wrote, “If licenses must be allocated among applicants, objective criteria should be established for the Department to follow in determining which applicants (and their partners and providers) are most qualified to receive a license and [are] capable of establishing a successful event wagering operation.”

That was one of 12 comments Riney submitted, many dealing with clarifications. Riney did somewhat echo verbal comments from meetings in suggesting that credit cards be an allowable way to fund accounts, at least for online wagering.

I’m joining legislators and tribal leaders to sign the historic tribal-state gaming compact amendment and its associated legislation at the @HeardMuseum. Watch the ceremonial signing here: https://t.co/4btnDbErc5

— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) April 15, 2021

But no other operators or tribal representatives have, at least publicly, offered any thoughts to the ADG on how to divide up tribal licenses. According to the Arizona Indian Gaming Association website, the state currently has 21 federally recognized tribes. Fifteen of those tribes offer gaming at 24 casinos. Some tribes, like the Tohono O’odham Nation and Gila River Community, own multiple casinos.

The ADG has to sort out how to spread 10 licenses over the 15 gaming tribes. Industry insiders have suggested that some tribes could band together — for example, there are multiple Apache tribes in the state — and share a license. If all four — the San Carlos, Tonto, White Mountain, and Yavapi Apache — partnered on a single operator license, the state would then be left with nine licenses to spread among 11 tribes, making the math a little more manageable.

Whether or not that kind of partnership is doable would be up to the ADG to interpret, as in most cases a licensee can only have a single retail wagering location. But, food for thought …

(Full disclosure … knowing nothing about the relationships between these tribes, Sports Handle is taking a stab in the dark on who would partner with whom and respectfully apologizes if, given the history between any of the tribes, this is a poor suggestion)

Should Phoenix Rising get a license?

While that issue is likely the biggest one sitting on the ADG’s collective shoulders, stakeholders and interested parties offered some other food for thought:

  • Horse tracks and OTBs are eligible to apply for one of 10 retail-only sports betting licenses. There were questions about how licenses will be issued and if the tracks and OTBs are required to partner with an event wagering operator to offer sports betting.
  • Representatives from both the NFL Cardinals and the PGA’s TPC-Scottsdale asked for clarification of what a “designee” is and if the franchise must hold an operator’s license or if the operating partner (i.e. DraftKings or FanDuel or Caesars) could hold the license.
  • The Phoenix Rising professional soccer team — which is not an MLS team — requested that it be included in the definition of professional sports teams. The definition in the statute calls for a team or franchise or sport to be “at the highest level, league, or organization.” Phoenix Rising plays in the United Soccer League, the highest level of professional soccer in Arizona. Major League Soccer is the highest level of professional soccer in the U.S.
  • Other stakeholders asked for more opportunity for small business and clarity around integrity monitoring, voids, and servers.

Arizona lawmakers legalized sports betting on April 15, after Gov. Doug Ducey and the state’s tribes agreed to a compact that would allow the tribes and some commercial operators to offer statewide mobile and retail sports wagering. The compact has already been approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Diamondbacks, Caesars bringing sportsbook next to Chase Field in downtown Phoenix https://t.co/6SVXQd0lqZ via @azcentral

— Chris Coppola (@chris_coppola) May 6, 2021

A handful of operators have already announced market access in Arizona. Caesars has two avenues — one through a partnership with the MLB Diamondbacks and another through a long-standing relationship through its Harrah’s brand with the Ak-Chin casino. In addition, DraftKings is partnering with the PGA Tour and FanDuel has a deal with the Phoenix Suns. It’s likely that either Penn National Gaming (Barstool Sports) or WynnBet, both of which have deals with NASCAR, will partner with Phoenix Raceway, and BetMGM is rumored to be close to a deal with the Gila River Community.

ShareTweetShare
Jill R. Dorson

Jill R. Dorson

Jill has covered everything from steeplechase to the NFL and then some during a more than 30-year career in sports journalism. The highlight of her career was covering Oakland Raiders during the Charles Woodson/Jon Gruden era, including the infamous “Snow Bowl” and the Raiders’ 2003 trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. Her specialty these days is covering sports betting legislation across the country. You can reach Jill at jill@bettercollective.com

Related Posts

buffalo-lake-maine
Legislation

First Sports Bets In Maine Still More Than A Year Away

May 10, 2022
woman-signing-petition
Legislation

Commercial Operators’ California Proposal One Step Closer To Getting On 2022 Ballot

May 3, 2022
Load More

Top Sportsbooks In Your State

1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
FanDuel Sportsbook
Review / 4.8
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
FanDuel Sportsbook
Review / 4.8
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
SugarHouse Sportsbook
Review / 4.2
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
FanDuel Sportsbook
Review / 4.8
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
PointsBet
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
PointsBet Sportsbook
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
BetRivers Sportsbook
Review / 4.2
BET NOW
T&Cs ApplyOnly 1x Wager Applies
3
FOX Bet Sportsbook
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
PointsBet
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
FanDuel Sportsbook
Review / 4.8
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
PointsBet Sportsbook
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
SI Sportsbook
Review / 4.1
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
PointsBet
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
PointsBet Sportsbook Illinois
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
SI Sportsbook
Review / 4.1
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
PointsBet
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
PointsBet
Review / 4.3
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
BetMGM Sportsbook
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
WynnBET Sportsbook
Review / 4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Caesars Sportsbook
Review / 4.4
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
Betfred Sportsbook
Review / 3.8
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
Bet99 Sportsbook
Review / 4.7
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Sports Interaction Ontario
Review / 4.2
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
bet365 Sportsbook Ontario
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
Bet99 Sportsbook
Review / 4.7
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
Sports Interaction Ontario
Review / 4.2
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
3
bet365 Sportsbook Ontario
Review / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
1
Monkey Knife Fight
Rating / 4.5
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.
2
PrizePicks
Rating / 4.2
BET NOW
T&Cs Apply21+. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.

State Sports Betting Guides

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
May 26, 2022

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
March 21, 2021

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2022

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
March 18, 2022

Most Read Stories

mattress mack betting charade

Will Everyone Please Stop Calling ‘Mattress Mack’ A Sports Bettor?

April 27, 2022
Photo: Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY

Dave Portnoy Says, ‘F**k That Guy,’ To Which Bettor And Gambling Twitter Seriously Object

May 16, 2022
map-missouri

Missouri Sports Betting Bill Draws Debate, Backlash In Senate

May 5, 2022
golden-gate-bridge-san-francisco

California Tribes Won’t Try For Mobile Proposal On 2022 Ballot

May 10, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

gambling therapy
ncpg
igaming ontario
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
19+. Please play responsibly. Terms and conditions apply. 
Individuals must be 19 years of age or older to participate in igaming in Ontario. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly. If you, or someone you know, has a gambling problem in Ontario and wants help, please visit ConnexOntario or call their helpline at 1-866-531-2600. Operators on this website operate pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario.

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Massachusetts
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbooks
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Guide To ‘Risk-Free’ Bets
    • Common Beginner Mistakes
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
    • Partnership Tracker
  • News

Please share your location to continue.

Check our help guide for more info.

share your location