Fanatics Betting & Gaming awarded Arizona wagering licence
The ADOG opened an application window in February for one tribal and at least one professional sports franchise licence. By law, there are 20 licences available, 10 each tethered to tribal casinos and professional sports venues/franchises.
The ADOG did not announce if it had issued a licence to an entity that would partner with a professional sports franchise, but confirmed to iGB that that it had not received any applications for the pro franchise license. In a previous licensing round, no pro franchises applied. To date, eight professional sports franchises are licensed, leaving two pro franchise licences unclaimed. Two and a half years after legal sports betting launched in Arizona, it appears there are no other professional franchises in the state that could qualify.
Some tribes still shut out of event wagering
On the tribal side, the 10 available licences are all claimed, leaving at least six tribes without access to sports betting in Arizona. In August, the ADOG awarded a licence to Bet365 in partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian community, which lost its partner when Fubo Sportsbook shuttered in 2022. Bet365 launched in February.
A year ago, the Fanatics digital platform was available in just a handful of states, but since acquiring PointsBet’s North American operations, it has rebranded or launched coast to coast and is now available in 16 states, including Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania – five of the seven biggest US states that allow legal sports betting.
Fanatics Sportsbook has up to 180 days to launch its platform, but ADOG said it can launch as soon as it submits all required information and gets go-live approval from the regulator.
Arizona operators set a record for handle in January, according to the sports betting revenue report released on 12 March. The 16 operators live in the state took $706.4m in wagers, had adjusted gross revenue of $46.2m after promo deductions and paid the state $4.6m in tax.