Arizona Sports Betting Deal – Gambling Expanded

The Grand Canyon State has a long history with gambling: it is usually not able to keep up with the latest development in this business. Therefore, the laws have not been adjusted to reality so far. But with the latest sports betting deal made a lot of changes in the wagering of Arizona. It has an influence on many aspects of the industry, so keep on reading to stay up-to-date!

If you are reading this article, you are probably a gambler yourself. And as such, you probably know, that all states in the United States of America have their own right to form their legislation when it comes to gambling. So they do! This can be pretty confusing for gamblers, but still: you always have to check the directories applied to each state. And it is even harder because the states are constantly changing these regulations. Just like Arizona did now, with its latest sports betting deal! And besides gamblers, sportsbook operators should also listen: a new market just opened up!

Gambling in Arizona

All the issues concerning gambling are covered by the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 13-3301 et seq. and ARS 5-101 et seq. As far as land-based gambling is concerned, many forms are illegal. However, tribal casinos have a long history in the Grand Canyon State. Now 22 of the local tribes have a contract with the state – so it is legal to gamble in their casinos. Also, the state-operated lottery and wagering on horse and dog races (available only on track) are legal. As well as charitable games of bingo, raffles, and casino nights. The minimum gambling age is 21. So, the new sports betting deal in Arizona is very much needed.

On the other hand, online gambling has been a grey area – a territory not clearly regulated. And as such, there are offshore sites, such as Bovada that accept players from the Grand Canyon state. And this is not clearly against the law. So, online sportsbook sites in the US have some leeway.

Arizona Sports Betting Deal

The laws mentioned above are changing, as we speak – giving more opportunities to gamblers all around the state. On Monday, May 24th the US Department of the Interior approved an updated tribal compact with the state – as AP News reported. And by that, the emergency legislation that Governor Doug Ducey signed back in April was also put into effect. (Since that was a counterpart to the tribal agreement.) But how did this change the whole gambling field in Arizona? Well, from now on wagering on sports events and online fantasy sports betting became legal! It also brought more gambling options into tribal casinos all around the Grand Canyon State. So far, this all sounds really nice, especially for operators and gamers in the state. But what does that exactly mean for everyday gambling?

Effects of the new deal

With the approval of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, they cleared the last obstacle in the way of fully legal gambling options in the state. From now on, not just reservation casinos, but major sports groups will be able to offer wagering on sports. That gives NFL and NBA great opportunities! But it also lets fantasy sports operators get licenses! And the tribes will also benefit. They can now offer more exclusive gambling options. They can have Baccarat, craps, more slot machines – and have the ones, like poker and blackjack that they already had.

So far, we can say that the long negotiations of the last 5 years were worth it. This sports betting deal was a milestone in the gambling field of Arizona. However, they still have some things to do, especially when it comes to online gambling. Online gambling sites in the US, like Bovada, are eager to see what the state has for them!

You can discover more about Bovada Sportsbook here.