The legislature passed sports betting in Arizona earlier this year. Governor Doug Ducey, who has always supported wagering, quickly signed the bill into law. The legislature swiftly passed sports betting to take advantage of football season’s momentum.
Football season brings many bets to sportsbooks. AZ has the potential to be a massive wagering market, and that’s why the state wanted betting to be live by September 9. This deadline may give the impression that the state has plenty of time to launch betting.
However, September 9 is rapidly approaching, and Arizona has fallen behind its original timeline. The positive news is that the state has vowed to get back on track after the delay. Bettors should believe this promise because AZ will lose a lot of money if they cannot launch by September 9.
Delay for Arizona Sports Betting
The Arizona Department of Gaming, the governing body over sports betting, was supposed to release a draft of the wagering rules on Monday. Yet, this did not happen as the department utilized its Twitter to announce the delay in the planning process.
The department’s public information officer Max Hartgraves penned the notice of the postponement.
“ADG is on track to meet the targeted ‘go live’ date of Sept. 9 for event wagering in the state. That said, the department is finalizing details for draft event wagering/fantasy sports rules to ensure completeness and accuracy, which will be available for public viewing and comment as soon as this process is complete.”
The Next Step in the Process
Once the Department of Gaming releases the first draft of the rules, there will be a weeklong period for the public to comment. After this, the department will make changes based on the feedback. The examination period was supposed to conclude on June 21, but it has been postponed.
It’s unknown when the first draft of the rules will be released. There were people in the industry that believed a September 9 launch was tight with the schedule. Therefore, this delay could hurt the state’s chances of launching sports wagering for week one of the NFL season.
The NFL season is set to kick off on Thursday, September 9. The opening game is the biggest that the league has experienced in years. The Dallas Cowboys will visit the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Arizona Cardinals open their 2021 campaign the Sunday after the Cowboys vs. Buccaneers game on the road against the Tennessee Titans.
Arizona Sports Betting Law
The Department of Gaming is supposed to add to the framework of sports betting. The basic standards were set by the legislature and tribal gaming compact. Arizona law allows for up to 20 sports betting licenses.
The tribes will receive ten, and the professional sports teams would be given ten. The US Department of Interior approved the gaming compact on May 24, so the state has the green light for sports betting.
Residents in the state are hopeful that sports betting launches by September 9 and this date still seems likely based on comments from the Department of Gaming.
