When Gov. Doug Ducey signed a new sports betting bill into law on April 15, Arizona sports fans and bettors celebrated. This led to the following natural question:
When had they started making bets?
The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) started providing answers to that question last week. On Wednesday, they detailed the necessary steps to initiate the first legally recognized retail sportsbooks and betting apps in Arizona.
Officials have given operating timeframes to give a clearer idea of when both sports betting and daily fantasy sports will become operational in the state.
Regulators outline timelines for small approval and rule-drafting.
The availability of both sports betting and fantasy sports wagering to Arizonans is influenced by two timelines.
One issue pertains to the expenses related to sports betting and the recently modified tribal-state particles that Ducey signed. The other matter concerns the ADG’s process of drafting rules.
A news release last week stated that the department has already started formulating rules, as mandated by the new law. The ADG plans to “launch an extensive process to create rules for these new gaming formats,” describing themselves as already “actively working” towards this goal.
The ADG emphasized that several steps must be taken for these rules and the related amended Compacts to be implemented.
Revised timetable for AZ tribal-state compacts
The revised documents were submitted to the Office of Indian Gaming at the US Department of the Interior a day after Ducey approved the expenses. The Office of Indian Gaming must examine and approve the revised documents within 45 days, or by the end of May. If no action is taken, the agreements are swiftly approved.
Once approved, particles will be submitted to the Federal Register, which then has 90 days to publish them. If the Office of Indian Gaming utilizes the full 45 days for review, the Federal Register will have until the end of August to post. Only after this process will the revised particles become fully operational.
Before initiating function or fantasy sports betting, the required process must be completed. The recent law allows countries to grant up to 10 licenses for both in-store and online sports betting. Moreover, professional sports teams and facilities can acquire up to 10 more licenses.
Rules for DFS and the schedule for sports gambling in Arizona
The ADG has a duration of 60 days to scrutinize rules following the signing of the bill. Consequently, the deadline for regulators is mid-June. Such guidelines might be applicable to both fantasy sports tournaments and sports betting.
At that stage, a period for public opinion will take place, following which the ADG will implement any required amendments to the rules. Then, the ADG will prepare to announce a tentative start date for operations.
The period for revising tribal-state articles may approximately align with that one. However, the ADG has not explicitly mentioned how long the post-drafting process might take.
Is it possible for Arizona’s sports betting and/or fantasy sports wager to be up and running by the start of the NFL season in September? It could be, but it might be overly optimistic to expect it to happen that soon.
While AZ regulators are in operation, users and operators prepare.
Just because particles are approved and rules are suddenly drafted, it doesn’t mean that sports betting will start right away.
The ADG will still need to assess programs for both users and software companies, issue licenses, and provide regulatory approvals.
Potential operators and providers are already forming partnerships in anticipation of regulators’ progress. FanDuel sports betting and the Phoenix Suns have already publicised a deal, which followed closely after DraftKings and the TPC Scottsdale announced a similar agreement.
Investor presentations have also mentioned both BetMGM and theScore Bet. At the same time, numerous other providers are undoubtedly preparing for a swift entry into Arizona as soon as the application process starts.
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