Several sports betting partnerships have been announced as the launch date for sportsbook in Arizona looms on September 9, the first day of the NFL season.
BetMGM will be entering the Arizona sports betting market in partnership with Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals for retail and mobile sports betting. So will PointsBet, which is partnering with Cliff Castle Casino Hotel. So will the Diamondbacks, in partnership with Caesars Entertainment.
Besides online sportsbook, BetMGM will open retail sportsbooks at all three Gila River casinos at Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiv and at the Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium in time for the 2021 NFL season. The latter is a first: an NFL stadium with a sportsbook.
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a statement: “Arizona sports fans are extremely passionate and we’re confident they’ll enjoy the BetMGM experience,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals represent the state’s premier casino destinations and sports franchise, making them the ideal partners for us.”
Gila River Hotels & Casino CEO Kenneth Manuel commented: “Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals have an everlasting partnership, offering guests exclusive experiences and remarkable rewards. As we explored our partner in sports betting, the unity with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, ensures we deliver beyond all expectations. There is no doubt in my mind these three industry leading brands unifying will deliver the ultimate experience in Arizona sports betting, solidifying Gila River Hotels & Casinos as Arizona’s Sports HQ.”
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell added, “This is a tremendous opportunity to build upon our long-standing relationship with Gila River and launch a new one with BetMGM. They are best-in-class partners whose excellence and expertise in this emerging space will provide a new and innovative way to engage and interact with our fans.”
Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, the new sport betting partner of PointsBet Arizona LLC, is an enterprise of the Yavapai-Apache Nation. Arizona is the 16th state PointsBet has been licensed to offer sportsbook in.
Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA chief executive officer, commented, “PointsBet and our partners at Cliff Castle are proud to begin the process toward offering our differentiated sports betting product and world-class technology to fans all over Arizona.” He continued, “We welcome the opportunity to quickly and responsibly introduce prospective sports bettors to the customer-focused, market-leading PointsBet experience, where our proprietary technology platform, unrivaled speed, ease of use, and deep slate of the most betting options in the world will disrupt the market for the better.”
Cliff Castle Casino General Manager Aaron Moss added, “PointsBet’s experience and reputation has made them a perfect fit in pursuit of an event wagering license. This partnership allows for Cliff Castle to work alongside PointsBet’s truly first-class brand and product, which we are thrilled to ultimately help make available to the Arizona market.”
PointsBet is an exclusive sports betting partner of NBC Sports, and uses its television and digital assets, including the year-round multi-platform medica and marketing platform NBC Sports Regional Networks provides.
Previously announced sports betting partnerships include Barstool Sportsbook at Phoenix Raceway, FanDuel Sportsbook at the Phoenix Suns‘ Footprint Center and DraftKings Sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale, Bally’s Corp. with the Phoenix Mercury, Kindred Group with the Quechan Tribe, TwinSpires with the Tonto Apache Tribe, WynnBet with the San Carlos Apache Tribe and DraftKings with the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Caesars Entertainment will launch its sportsbook and mobile app at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in Phoenix, at a 20,000 square foot sportsbook, bar and broadcast studio previously occupied by Game 7 Grill. This will make it the first baseball stadium in the U.S. to have a sportsbook.
A total of 20 mobile and retail sports betting licenses are authorized by Arizona’s new law, ten for professional sports organizations and ten for gaming tribes. Retail sportsbooks are allowed at each tribal casino.
Not all of the announced partnerships will get licenses. The Arizona Department of Gaming has finalized sports betting rules. The department will evaluate applicants and award licenses August 27.
