Arizona regulator approves 18 sports betting operators

On Friday, the Arizona Department of Gaming released the complete list of applicants who qualified for sports wagering licenses in the recently concluded RFA process.

In its announcement, the Department revealed that 18 operators had passed the evaluations process, allowing them to offer their products to Arizonians when regulated sports betting takes off next month.

Of the 18 announced permits, 10 went to tribal gaming operators, while the rest were issued to professional sports teams and sporting venues. This means that there are two remaining licenses in the precinct, given that the state’s gaming law allows the regulator to issue a maximum of 20 permits for both retail and mobile wagering.

Among those who made the cut include big names like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, and BallyBet.

The Friday announcement paved the way for qualified operators to start marketing their sportsbooks to bettors in the Grand Canyon State and also begin early account registration at 12.01 am on Saturday, ahead of the targeted September 9 launch.

Saturday also marked the official launch of legal daily fantasy sports in Arizona. Operators approved to offer DFS in the state include Yahoo, DraftKings, Fantasy Sports Shark, FanDuel, UnderDog Sports, and FFPC.

DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM among successful applicants

Boston-based DraftKings is among the operators issued with a combined license for Arizona sports betting.

DraftKings announced on Thursday that it had qualified for permits to offer both DFS and event wagering in the Grand Canyon State, and it is among the brands that kicked off early registration on Saturday. The operator partnered with the TPC Scottsdale Champions Course for its sports betting license.

Also in the list is Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel Sportsbook, which will be teaming up with NBA’s Phoenix Suns for its offering.

Another prominent brand in the list is BetMGM, which is a partnership between Entain Holdings and MGM Resorts International. The operator’s license is tethered to NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. However, the brand’s second partner, Gila River Casinos, did not make the cut.

Here is the full list of the applicants and their partners who received approval from the state’s Department of Gaming:

• BetMGM – NFL’s Arizona Cardinals
• FanDuel – NBA’s Phoenix Suns
• DraftKings – TPC Scottsdale
• Barstool Sportsbook – Phoenix Raceway
• BetRivers – IFL’s Arizona Rattlers
• Caesars Sportsbook – Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks
• Unibet – Quechan Tribe
• Golden Nugget – Hualapai Tribe
• TwinSpires – Tonto Apache Tribe
• BallyBet – WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury
• Betway – San Juan Southern Palute Tribe
• Betfred – Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation
• SuperBook – Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
• WynnBET – San Carlos Apache Tribe
• Fubo Gaming – Ak-Chin Indian Community

The remaining three licensees are yet to announce their sports betting partners. They include the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes, the Navajo Indian Nation, and the Tohono O’odham Nation’s Desert Diamond Casinos.

PointsBet misses out on AZ betting license

Early this month, the ADG announced that it had received 25 applications for sports betting licenses, with 15 gaming tribes submitting bids for the 10 available permits. This meant that five of the tribal operators would miss out on a permit.

One of the big names that did not receive approval from the regulator is PointsBet Sportsbook, which had partnered with the Yavapai Apache Nation for its bid. The Yavapai Apache Nation operates Cliff Castle Hotel & Casino in Camp Verde.

Also left out was MaximBet and its partner, White Mountain Apache Tribe, as well as the partnership between BlueBet and the Colorado River Indian Tribe.

The other two partnerships that did not make the cut are yet to be known.