The Arizona sports betting market is once again accepting new applications.
Arizona sports betting regulators reopened the application process for event wagering licenses last week. The Arizona Department of Gaming said it will “accept applications for not less than one” license for both those reserved for Arizona tribes and Arizona sports franchises.
“As the state regulator, we remain dedicated to consumer protection and thorough licensing review process,” Cliff Holden, ADG assistant director of certification and licensing, said in a release. “We look forward to receiving new applications for regulated event wagering.”
The application period will close July 10.
Arizona sports betting through the years
There are 13 active sports betting operators in the state, but that is after a variety of shakeups over the years. There are 10 licenses available in the state for the tribes and 10 available to professional sports organizations.
The market opened in 2021 with 18 licensed sportsbooks. Since then, multiple operators have shuttered:
- Betway
- BetFred
- Fubo Sportsbook
- SaharaBets
- Sporttrade, which just shut down its five U.S. operations on May 25
- Superbook
- Twinspires
- Unibet
- WynnBet
The ADG has opened up the application process three other times, most recently in July 2024.
Arizona sports betting history
Since the launch, operators have taken more than $33 billion in bets and generated $179.9 million in taxes for the state.
Four operators generally control more than 90% of the market:
The other active operators:
- Bally Bet
- bet365
- Betcris
- BetRivers
- Desert Diamond
- Fanatics
- Golden Nugget
- Hard Rock Digital
- theScore Bet
Busy Arizona regulators
Along with the regulated sports betting operators, Arizona regulators have been among the busiest in the nation. The department often sends out PSAs about gambling, both for responsible gambling practices and warnings about illegal offerings.
The ADG has sent multiple cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed and offshore sports betting, online casino and sweepstake operators. Regulators also looked to shut down Underdog’s fantasy offerings over its prediction market entrance.
Arizona also filed criminal charges against Kalshi for its prediction markets offerings. That has led to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to include Arizona in its efforts to protect its regulatory jurisdiction.
