Legal Arizona Sportsbook Industry Still in Limbo in 2020

Two years after the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting, the legal Arizona sportsbook industry is still nowhere to be found. It is one of the 28 states with no legislation to legalize sports wagering on sports online or in-person.

Senate Bill 1525 would legalize land-based sportsbooks. According to the proposed bill, Native American tribes will have exclusive rights to sports betting. Lawmakers introduced the Legislature in February. However, it didn’t get out of the committee level.

According to Senator Sonny Borrelli, they want to make sure everyone could prosper with legal sports betting. However, the main obstacle is the Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compact.

Legal Arizona Sportsbook Industry Still Unclear

According to sports betting news reports, all tribes need to agree with any expansion in the compact. The first step to having sports betting in Arizona is to get the tribes on board. Then you need the state to agree to it.

Based on PayPerHead sources, the Arizona compact comprises 16 out of 22 tribes in the state. However, the Navajo Nation, the largest tribal group in the state, is not one. The Navajo Nation wants to add sports betting to expand their gambling offerings in the state.

A political forum learned that some Arizona officials believe that legalizing sports wagering is worth the wait. Representative Steve Pierce is working with Borrelli to promote the benefits of legal sports wagering in Arizona.

Pierce said that it would bring additional revenue for the state. Also, many people are already doing it. Arizona is one of the seven states without mobile or online sports betting via significant websites. However, sports wagering proposals in the state haven’t mentioned online sports betting.

Most players prefer placing wagers through online platforms. For instance, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have most of their sports betting via online or mobile apps.