BetMGM Becomes First Betting Provider to Announce NFL Stadium Sportsbook

The inevitable happened Monday. Amidst the rash of MLB, NBA and NHL venues welcoming their own sportsbooks, there was one league conspicuously absent from an announcement of a betting operation coming to the home of one of their teams. That all changed with Monday's proclamation of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals welcoming a BetMGM branded sportsbook into their home, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Arizona's legal sports betting platform hasn't even gone live yet but there has already been a flurry of partnership deals by sportsbooks, with the aim of positioning themselves for a decent market share in what is expected to be a big Arizona sports betting market. Launch of the Arizona scene is expected September 9, just prior to kickoff of the 2021-2022 NFL campaign.

BetMGM's entrance into the Arizona legal sports betting market comes in conjunction with a partnership deal they signed with the Gila River Indian Community, which not only runs three casinos in the state but also has had a rock-solid, existing relationship with the Arizona Cardinals.

“Arizona sports fans are extremely passionate and we’re confident they’ll enjoy the BetMGM experience. Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals represent the state’s premier casino destinations and sports franchise, making them the ideal partners for us,” said Chief Executive Officer at BetMGM, Adam Greenblatt.

Aligning With the Gila River Indian Community

It was no surprise that BetMGM signed on with the Gila River Indian Community. Negotiations between the two had been in the works for some time. ”Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals have an everlasting partnership, offering guests exclusive experiences and remarkable rewards,” Gila River Hotels & Casino CEO Kenneth Manuel said in the release. “As we explored our partner in sports betting, the unity with BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks, ensures we deliver beyond all expectations.”

What came as a minor surprise and a major coup for the betting provider was the inclusion of the Arizona Cardinals and their home stadium into the mix. It all adds up to BetMGM immediately, upon launch of the Arizona legal sports betting platform, having three mobile sports betting locations at existing Gila River Hotels as well as at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. There is another Gila River sportsbook in the planning process. Once it is built, a BetMGM sportsbook will launch out of that facility as well.

Leg up in Arizona?

BetMGM became the 10th operator to gain market access in Arizona with Monday's announcement and the fifth major sports betting operator to align itself with one of the state's tribes. But BetMGM became the first to partner with a tribe and a pro sports franchise at the same time. The deal gives BetMGM a leg up in Arizona.

They gain three venues to launch their betting app right away, along with the right to operate out of a major sports venue and a promise of another location once the rumored fourth Gila River casino is built. A platform at an NFL venue takes BetMGM’s Arizona presence to a different level. No other operator has more than one location so far in the Arizona market - BetMGM has secured a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 with one stroke of the pen.

Where the Arizona Scene Sits

Even though there is still some work to be done before the Arizona legal sports betting industry goes live, just what the scene will look like has come into focus. Five of the state's tribes have signed on with betting providers including BetMGM with Gila River Indiana Community, Kindred (Unibet) with Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, PointsBet and Yavapai-Apache Nation, TwinSpires with Tonto Apache Tribe and WynnBET which has aligned with the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Betting operators have already moved in on the state's professional teams and venues and have forged official sports betting partnerships. Included on that list are Bally’s, who have aligned with the WNBA's Mercury, Barstool Sportsbook and NASCAR/Phoenix Raceway, BetMGM and NFL Cardinals who signed Monday, Caesars and MLB Diamondbacks and the two DFS giants-turned sports betting provider behemoths which have secured deals with PGA/TPC Scottsdale and the NBA Suns.

On Track for September 9?

The close of the sports betting operator application process came Monday, marking another huge step in the state's goal to launch its legal sports betting platform in time for the start of the NFL season. It looks as though September 9 is certainly a reasonable goal. The biggest sportsbook winner of the unofficial licensing lottery taking place in Arizona has to be BetMGM.

While a BetMGM sportsbook at State Farm Stadium, a venue that will coincidentally be hosting the 2023 Super Bowl, isn’t likely to launch until the 2022 season, the provider will have three locations up-an-running right off the bat in the state, starting in September. Excitement is building for the Arizona legal sports betting industry. Stars are aligning waiting on the Thursday Night kickoff of the NFL season in September.