Arizona About to Expand Legal Sports Betting Family

The Arizona sports betting industry is poised to add one, possibly two, or even three operators to its family. Our best sports betting apps not already operating in the state will certainly be looking to get involved.

The Friday announcement by the Arizona Department of Gaming indicated that regulators in the Grand Canyon State kicked off 2024 with a promise to add to the number of available Arizona sports betting apps and retail providers. There are 17 in the state, three short of the maximum allowable platforms under Arizona state law.

Prospective new operators can apply for an Arizona sports betting license between July 8 and July 19.

According to the press release Friday, Arizona is looking for one operator to partner with one of the state’s tribes, while one, possibly two are being reserved for a professional Arizona professional sports franchise.

Reasons for the call for more providers

The Arizona sports betting family has undergone some changes since the sports betting legalization process began in 2021. Four initial licensed operators have left that market, creating spaces for others to occupy.

Fubo Sportsbook, WynnBET, Unibet, and TwinSpires have all abandoned the Arizona scene over the last two-and-a-half years, citing either low market share or the desire to exit the American legal sports betting landscape altogether.

Since the start of the year, the Arizona Department of Gaming has made good on its promise to welcome new operators into its family. In February, bet365 was licensed to go live in the Grand Canyon State, thanks to a partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian Community, and Fanatics Sportsbook launched in the state in partnership with the Tonto Apache Tribe, which owns the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino.

The Fanatics partnership brought the total number of Tribal/sportsbook partnerships to the maximum of 10 allowed under the law. Regulators are now looking to add one more, giving the state 11 such sports betting tie-ups. More operators mean more Arizona sportsbook promos for residents.

That leaves two untethered licenses open, and the Department looks poised to fill those gaps in the coming weeks and months.

The Arizona market

The Arizona legal sports betting market is certainly an attractive one. It is a reliable top 10 sports betting jurisdiction in America, coming off a record monthly handle of $760 million in March. March made it three straight months that Arizona’s best sportsbooks accepted more than $700 million in wagers for a given month.

The Grand Canyon State is one of nine U.S. states to surpass $16 billion in lifetime handle and one of 11 to eclipse $1 billion in sportsbook revenue since legalization.

Another attractive aspect of the Arizona scene for possible providers is a low 10% tax rate on mobile sports betting revenues.

There will be competition for market share for any new sportsbook entering the Arizona market. DraftKings and FanDuel have dominated with a combined more than 70% market share in the state and all of the biggest names are there. 

The good news is that one of its newest providers, bet365, has made quick inroads and checked in as the fifth-most successful Arizona sports betting app in March with a $26.9 million handle. Check out what the book has to offer with our bet365 bonus code: SBRBONUS!