Arizona Sports Betting Bill Moves Forward In Legislature

• The Arizona sports betting bill would legalize both retail and online sportsbooks.
• House Bill 2772 has been voted on favorably to receive a slot on the House floor in its quest to becoming law.
• Under AZ HB 2772, tribal casinos, as well as professional sports venues, would be eligible to operate sportsbooks in Arizona.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Rules Committee voted on a bill that would legalize sports betting in the state on Monday which has opened the pathway for the legislation to move forward by a vote of 6-2.

House Bill 2772 will now be going to the House floor for further approvals.

This was not the first time that the Arizona Rules Committee listened to the proposal but this was the first vote as the requested amendments were made from previous requests.

The bill omitted certain areas of the industry that were once detailed including the application fees and taxes toward both the sports betting and daily fantasy sports (DFS) sectors.

Next Up For House Bill 2772

House Bill 2772 would make mobile and retail sports wagering legal in Arizona. It comes with a companion bill in Senate Bill 1797 that has not yet moved as far.

On Wednesday, the Senate proposal will be going before the Appropriations Committee with the hope of a positive vote to fall in line with the progress of AZ HB 2772.

The House bill, along with amending vernacular for taxes and fees that will now be decisions given to the regulator of the industry (Arizona Department of Gaming), is also opening the cap to be raised for the number of licenses that could be given out for legal sports betting. Originally, there was a maximum of ten retail sports betting licenses to be made available. But there are seven professional sports venues that could apply for licensure as well as 24 Tribal casinos, which is why advocates are seeking a higher number of licenses to be available.

To help this problem in the proposal, the bill now reads that ten licenses will remain the cap on sports wagering unless more applications are received.

At that point, the Arizona Department of Gaming will ensure that every eligible operator is able to receive a license to create an equal playing field for gaming businesses.

Mobile sportsbooks will be opened statewide and Tribal operators can offer their mobile applications off of the reservation in order to gather a larger following of sports bettors to use their platforms.

Land-based and mobile sports betting licenses will go hand in hand for potential operators.

Up Ahead

Arizona sports betting still has a number of hurdles to go through with these two bills before any final decisions can be made. In previous sessions, the Arizona Legislature moved forward on bills for legalizing sports wagering markets but eventually hit walls of opposition either by the Tribes or commercial businesses being in disagreement.

Governor Doug Ducey has said that should these bills land on his desk, he will sign them into law as he hopes Arizona will open up a legal sports betting industry. The one stipulation he has is that both Tribal and commercials sportsbooks be under the same regulations with the Arizona Department of Gaming and not separate entities as regulators.

No hearings have been scheduled yet for House Bill 2772 to be heard on the floor. The Arizona Legislature adjourns for the year on April 24.

News tags: Arizona | Arizona Department of Gaming | Arizona Legislature | AZ HB 2772 | AZ SB 1797 | Doug Ducey | House Bill 2772 | Senate Bill 1797