Arizona to Add bet365 to Sports Betting Landscape

The Arizona legal sports betting landscape will be welcoming a new wagering provider following the closure of Fubo Sportsbook in the Grand Canyon State, meaning one more app could join Arizona sports betting for the start of the NFL season.

On Tuesday, an Arizona Department of Gaming  announcement stated that bet365 would take the place of the now shuttered Fubo Sportsbook, and in turn, will become Arizona's 17th legal mobile sports betting provider.

bet365, the self-anointed "world's favourite online sports betting company" will make Arizona its seventh legal sports betting jurisdiction. The British-based sportsbook already has a strong presence in Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, Iowa, and Colorado and is preparing to go live in America's newest sports betting state Kentucky in less than one month's time.

As for Arizona, regulators have paved the way for up to 20 operators to be active in the state. As many as 18 have been running at one time, with the low point of the platform having 16 operators. With bet365, there will be 17 active sportsbooks, with 3 more licenses likely to come in the not-too-distant future.

A bit more about the agreement

bet365 Arizona will take over as legal sports betting operator for the Ak-Chin Indian Community in the Grand Canyon State after the Fubo Sportsbook departure. The top-tier global online sports betting brand will be bringing its vast range of betting markets and years of experience as an elite sports betting brand to the Arizona scene.

bet365 now has 180 days to launch their product in the Grand Canyon State, according to the Arizona Department of Gaming. That window includes time to get their product and procedures "approved by the Department" before launch. Once bet365 satisfies all of Arizona's regulatory requirements, it will face stiff competition from all of the heavyweights currently operating in the state.

bet365 is not expected to have any trouble satisfying the ADG requirements and could reasonably be active in the next few weeks, in order to take full advantage of the start of the NFL season.

Keep an eye on Arizona sportsbook promos entering the new football season.

More licenses to come in Arizona?

The Arizona Department of Gaming had originally opened the window for three more potential sports betting licenses - one to be partnered with one of its tribes and the other two to be aligned with professional sports teams in the state.

The window for applications opened Aug. 1 and closed Aug. 15. While bet365 gained approval for the tribal partnership, the Department did not, or was not able to approve any of the applications it saw for the remaining two event arena/sports franchise betting licenses.

It appears that the United Soccer League’s Phoenix Rising FC was one of those sports teams rumored to be in the hunt. But apparently, the team failed to apply this time around, after failing to meet the regulatory requirements back in 2021.

There was no reason given for not filling the two sports franchise sports betting licenses. Did hopeful sportsbooks fail to meet the standards set out in the state's regulations? Or does the Department simply need more time to consider which operators will fill out the menu of options for bettors in their jurisdiction?

One more Tribal license available

There is also one Tribal sports betting license up for grabs in Arizona, one that would fill out the maximum 10 Tribal partnerships allowed under the law. WynnBET, like Fubo, has departed the Arizona scene, leaving a partnership with the San Carlos Apache Tribe unfilled.

Look for Fanatics and their motivated sports betting brand to quickly move in on the San Carlos Apache Tribe partnership. Fanatics, since their takeover of PointsBet (which has attempted but failed to gain market access in Arizona), has been aggressive with their expansion plans and has mentioned Arizona as a probable market target.