Arizona state senators have given their approval to Senate Bill 1797 that will allow Arizonans to gamble on pro and amateur sports alongside fantasy sports.
The new senate bill follows the passing of HB 2772 by the house in early February of this year that would allow tribal casinos and pro teams to run sportsbooks.
SB 1797 passed through the senate overwhelmingly by 23-6 and will now go to the governor’s office to be signed into law. This is expected to be a formality as Gov. Doug Ducey was heavily involved in the drafting of the bill.
The bill will allow 10 licensees to operate sportsbooks at or near stadiums, race tracks, and golf courses. A further 10 new licenses will go to the state’s tribes allowing them to open new casinos and/or sportsbooks.
While tribal compacts will need to be renegotiated, it’s believed that the offer of those new licenses will see the bill supported by the majority of Arizona tribes.
Just a few minutes after the senate passed the bill, Gov. Ducey tweeted:
“A new tribal-state gaming compact just passed the legislature! The updated agreement is a win-win for Arizonans, tribal members, and sports leagues and teams. Thank you to everyone who worked to improve Arizona’s gaming compact!”
The state expects to approve licenses and have the industry up and running by the end of 2021.
Image credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.