Although some experts are predicting that Arizona will legalize sports betting soon, they concede that the state’s complicated relationship with its gaming tribes will complicate matters.
News 4 Tucson last week interviewed Garret Bradford with forensicsports.com, who commented, “I think you will see it and I think you will see an agreement coming rather shortly. I believe it’s too lucrative.”
The complication is the existing tribal state gaming compacts. A spokesman for Casino Del Sol, CEO Kim Van Amburg told News 4 Tucson, “because casino gambling in Arizona is limited to Indian Tribes under Arizona’s Gaming Compacts, any legislation allowing sports betting in this state would have to be crafted with those compacts in mind so as not to impact State gaming revenues.”
Those compacts expire in 2023.
A poll by First Strategic showed that 52 percent of state residents support sports betting, a percentage that goes up to 67 percent if the money would be used for public purposes.
