Rush Street Interactive launched its digital sports betting platform on Friday in Arizona, bringing the the total number to nine in the state.
That number includes six that are partnered with professional sports franchises/venues and three with Indian casinos. RSI, which is operating under its BetRivers banner, is partnered with the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League.
Rush Street is only the second operator to go live since the Arizona Department of Gaming launched the first seven on Sept. 9. TwinSpires (Tonto Apache) launched Sept. 16, joining Barstool Sportsbook (Phoenix Raceway), BetMGM (State Farm Stadium), Caesars (Chase Field), DraftKings (TPC Scottsdale), FanDuel (Footprint Center), Unibet (Quechan Tribe), and WynnBet (San Carlos Apache).
Rush Street’s digital platform will be its only presence in Arizona — the Rattlers play at Footprint Arena, home to the Phoenix Suns, with whom FanDuel has a partnership. FanDuel on Sept. 9 launched the only permanent retail sportsbook in Arizona at Footprint Center. Bally’s has a partnership with the Phoenix Mercury, who also play at the Footprint Center, and it also has plans for a digital platform only.
Launch is RSI’s second in two weeks
The Arizona launch is Rush Street’s second in two weeks. RSI launched under its PlaySugarHouse brand in partnership with the Connecticut Lottery on Oct. 12, alongside DraftKings and FanDuel as the only three platforms in that state. The company on Monday announced the opening of its first retail location at Sports Haven in New Haven. Parimutuel operator Sportech will operate the retail venue while RSI will handle the technology. RSI and the lottery have plans to open 15 brick-and-mortar locations, as allowed by law.
BetRivers is offering a $250 sign-up bonus in Arizona.
The ADG so far has licensed 18 operators in Arizona, and will launch the remaining platforms and retail locations as they are ready to go. Of the eight professional sports venues/franchises licensed, all but Bally’s in partnership with the Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Coyotes, who have not announced a partner, are live.
In other news …
The Arizona Department of Gaming on Monday released its first daily fantasy sports revenue report, which showed that DraftKings slightly outpaced FanDuel in customer fees, taking in $75,715 compared to FanDuel’s $73,0516 during the three days DFS was legal in August in Arizona. Two other operators are active in the state — Fantasy Football Players Championship took in nearly $26,000 in fees while Yahoo! took in about $600. The net result for the state was tax revenue of $1,581.11.
According to a press release, DFS and event wagering operators must report figures by the 25th of the following month (so Sept. 25 for August), and the agency will then verify, review, and report the numbers a month later. The expectation is that the first event wagering report will be published Nov. 29, meaning there will be nearly a two-month lag between the end of a month and when numbers are publicly released.
The ADG will open the application process for limited event wagering — which is retail wagering at horse racetracks — Nov. 8. Under the new law, there are 10 retail-only licenses available.
