How Arizona Tribes Agreed To Limit Of 10 Mobile Sports Betting Licenses

Written By Matthew Kredell on October 25, 2021Last Updated on January 30, 2025
Why Arizona Tribes Accepted Sports Betting Limit

Native American tribes may have undervalued Arizona sports betting’s corporate appeal when they agreed to restrict themselves to 10 cellular sporting licenses.

The Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise‘s attorney Stephen Hart, who participated in the negotiations with the governor & rsquo, claimed that more than ten tribes had never anticipated wanting to be interested in sports betting.

We were attempting to determine how many businesses in Arizona wanted to wager on sports, and we estimated that 10 may include the shore, according to Hart. Well, you know, it didn’t work out that way, andldquo. & rdquo,

It turned out that 16 tribes found partners and applied for mobile event wagering licenses. The Arizona Department of Gaming had the unenviable task of choosing which 10 tribes got licenses. Navajo was among the chosen.

Former chairman of the Arizona Department of Gaming Hart gave the following explanation:

I was taken aback by how strong the demand was, & ldquo. And the desire to increase from 10 to 16 actually didn’t come from the nations. Companies from Europe and other countries sent a message saying they wanted to participate, so your tribe should submit an application and we & rsquo, will cover the costs. & rdquo,

In a one-on-one dialogue with PlayAZ and at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Hart discussed the cultural small negotiations in more detail.

Talks of a cultural gaming compact in Arizona

Nine Arizona nations started renegotiating their particles with the governor’s company, according to Hart. Ducey, Doug, in 2016.

When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in the middle of 2018, the majority of the small was already in place. Sports gambling immediately entered the conversation.

Hart referred to PASPA & rsquo’s demise as a significant change in the direction of discussions with the governor & reg, s office.

The governor & rsquo’s office made the decision that they adored sports betting. When the tribes included sports wagering, the small was a deal that only got better for them. However, sports betting was the governor & rsquo’s primary source of income. & rdquo,

That created fresh obstacles. Ethnic negotiators had anticipated finishing the sleek by 2019. However, it turned out that they didn’t come to a deal until April 2021. By the time the talks were over, 21 of the 22 nations in Arizona were involved.

Gov. More than nations, Ducey preferred Arizona sports betting.

The governor’s decision not to allow the tribes to enter was the main barrier posed by sports wagering.

It was somewhat miraculous that we were able to get through that when the governor’s office initially opposed nations participating in sports gaming, according to Hart. & rdquo,

Hart claimed that he made an effort to obtain 12 cultural function wagering licenses, the same amount that Michigan tribes were given.

Eventually, they settled on 10 mobile sports betting licenses for tribes and 10 for sports teams. That seemed to them like more licenses than operators who would want to partner with them, anyway. All tribes may offer retail sports wagering under IGRA.

I could raise the position to 10, but I couldn’t raise them any higher, Hart said. I negotiated that with & ldquo for a year, going back and forth repeatedly. & rdquo,

The majority of nations are pleased with the outcomes.

While it’s not a good look for some tribes to be refused Arizona mobile sports betting licenses, most tribes see the compacts as an overall huge net positive. Even ones that didn’t get mobile wagering licenses.

Before sports betting was involved, they were content with the lightweight. Tribes received some additional agreements as part of it that they believed were more valuable than sports wagering.

Tribes are covered by the bulky in more detail than just sports betting:

    Expands the gaming options: Tribal casinos may add new games like baccarat, craps, & nbsp, roulette, and pai gow in addition to sports betting. Additionally, they add more slot devices to their collection. All of this enables them to engage more successfully with gambling in Nevada, which are located across the border.
  • Tribes gain purchase with the bankers to mortgage loans and funding new projects by extending the small by 25 to 27 years.
  • New amenities: According to the particles, Arizona tribes will be able to construct an additional 10 gambling, four today and six in the years to come. One of those novel games is given to the Navajo.

We were examining this to determine what the governor’s office desired, and Hart remarked that it was shillings in contrast. Sports betting is very fascinating, & hellip, but how much money do you make? You actually don’t, t. It’s more like operating a grocery business and less like playing casino games. & rdquo,

Not all tribes have accepted allowing commercial entities to join in on gaming in Arizona. The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe was denied in an attempt to stop the sports betting launch.

The current agreement in Arizona is a fantastic agreement for the nations, according to Hart. & ldquo, The cost they paid for that fantastic agreement is a 50 / 50 split in how they plan to wager on sports. & rdquo,

AP / Ross D. Franklin photo
John Kredell Avatar
authored by
John Kredell

Since 2007, Matthew has written about initiatives to legalize and control virtual playing. His coverage of the legislation of sports betting started in 2010 with a piece for Playboy Magazine that claimed the NFL was stifling the spread of regulated activities gambling in order to make money for the US abroad. Matt, a former student at USC Journalism, started out as an sports writer for the Los Angeles Daily News. He has since written on numerous subjects for Playboy, Men’s Journal, the city newspaper, LA Weekly, and ESPN.com.

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