Arizona Online Gambling: Quick Facts
- Legal Arizona online gambling options: Sports betting
- Legal gambling age: 21
- Who regulates Arizona online gambling? Arizona Department of Gaming
- Legal mobile gambling? Yes
- Do I need to be physically located in Arizona to gamble online? Yes
- Do I need to be a resident of Arizona to gamble online? No
- Sports avalable to bet on: NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, College and more.
- What can't I bet on? Online casino and poker games.
A Brief History of Arizona Online Gambling
When it comes to recounting the history of Arizona online gambling, there is nothing to tell. No form of online gambling was approved in the state until April of 2021. This form of wagering isn't expected to become operational until later in the year. No online sportsbooks have been allowed in the Grand Canyon State in the past. Of course, this is also due to change shortly.
Arizona has more Native American land than any other state in the nation. It is also famous for having a large number of physical casinos. There are 26 of them which are currently located on tribal lands. This gives Arizona the largest number of brick-and-mortar casinos in the entire country.
The state had a very conservative attitude to gambling until the middle of the 20th century. However, this changed dramatically when the Native American casinos were approved in 1988. These casinos increasingly attracted large numbers of gamblers. The state's and national lotteries have also become very popular with Arizona residents.
Tourism is a major part of the state's economy and the money generated by tribal casinos has been valuable to the state. For this reason, Arizona has become more much liberal in its approach to gambling. Thus the recent approval of online sports and fantasy sports wagering.
It would come as no surprise if the state continued to move towards a more relaxed attitude of gambling. Gambling enthusiasts have reason to hope that someday online gambling on things such as casino-type games may also become available.
Arizona Online Gambling: The Current Law
Although it isn't yet available, betting on professional and college sports is now legal in the state. You must be 21 years old to gamble in Arizona and this also applies to the state's Native American casinos. The types of online gambling that aren't currently not allowed in the state include casino-style games, slots, and poker. At the state's 26 Native American casinos, legal gambling options include blackjack, slots, poker, keno, roulette, craps, and baccarat. As is the case with sports betting, online gambling on keno has also been approved.
You won't have to go to a physical location to register and set up an online sportsbook account. The new law allows gamblers to register on these websites remotely.
Legal Online Sportsbooks in Arizona
Under the new gambling laws recently approved by the state legislature, Arizona will allow mobile and land-based betting on sports. Tribal casinos will receive 10 mobile betting licenses and 10 will be available for commercial operators. These will be at locations such as Chase Field, the home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB team.
Other teams and sites expected to host online sportsbooks include the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, the NBA's Phoenix Suns, the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, NASCAR’s Phoenix Raceway, and the PGA Tour’s TPC Scottsdale golf course.
There are no officially approved retail sportsbooks right now. However, you can expect some of the major players to become part of the Arizona sports wagering market. FanDuel, for example, has already agreed to a partnership with the Phoenix Suns. FanDuel will also be offering fantasy sports wagering. This operator is expected to strike up a partnership with one of the major casinos in the state.
Another one of the heavyweight sportsbooks operators in the industry is DraftKings. It is due to launch fantasy sports betting in Arizona shortly and has already reached an agreement with TPC Scottsdale. DraftKings will be opening a sportsbook at TPS Scottsdale.
Two other sportsbooks that could very well come to the state are BetMGM and William Hill. Both of these have already worked out deals either through the Native American casinos or with commercial partners.
Assuming they go into operation in the state, the above-mentioned four sportsbooks would be a great boon to Arizona gamblers. They are all well-established and respected sportsbooks with user-friendly websites, attractive promotions, and offer a wide variety of betting options.
Sports Betting in Arizona
Online sports betting goes into operation this year. When it does, betting options will include college and professional sports as well as daily fantasy sports.
As is the case in most states, Arizona's own teams will generate a significant amount of betting interest. The Arizona Cardinals football team will be one of the popular teams on which to wager. Ditto for the Phoenix Suns basketball team and the Diamondbacks baseball club. The University of Arizona and Arizona State University are both members of the Pac-10 Conference. They have highly competitive teams that will receive plenty of gambling interest.
When online betting goes live, gamblers in Arizona will also have the option of making the following types of bets:
Moneyline
This is the simplest wagering option available as you simply bet on the winner. Bettors just choose a player or team to win. The first part of a moneyline bet tells you who you are betting on. The second part of the bet (-110) tells you how much the payout will be. If it says +110, you get $110 if you bet $100. If it says -110, you must bet $110 to win $100.
Points Spreads
With a point spread wager you are picking against a line established by a sportsbook. The line is the margin of victory for the winning team in a game. When a minus sign appears next to a team, it is the favorite. If a plus sign appears, it is the underdog. Should you bet on a team listed as -7, it must win the game by eight or more points for the bet to win. If the favorite wins by exactly seven points, it is called a push and you get your money back.
Totals (Over-Under)
Totals require you to bet on what will be the total number of points or goals scored. A bookmaker sets a line for the total number to be scored. You then wager on whether it will be higher or lower than the listed line.
Prop Bets
A prop bet isn't concerned with which team will win or how many points will be scored. Instead, you are betting on a specific aspect of the game. For example, on which basketball player will score the most points. Or on which running back will run for the most yards.
Future Bets
Future bets are just what the name implies. You are betting on something that will happen down the road, often the final outcome of a season. For instance, in a futures bet you might wager before the season starts on which team will win the World Series or the Super Bowl. These bets are especially attractive if you want to pick an underdog and receive a big payout when the team defies the experts and wins the championship.
Parlay Bets
With a parlay bet you are actually combining two or more bets into one. These may include total, future, spread, and moneyline bets as long as you are wagering on the outcome of two different games. Since you have to get more than one outcome right, these usually offer the opportunity for a big payout based on the odds.
Legal Online Casinos
There are no licensed and approved online casinos in Arizona. However, if all goes as planned there will be legal online sportsbooks in the state before 2021 is over for sports betting.
In the law passed by the legislature, 10 of those online sportsbooks will be at land-based facilities owned and operated by Native American tribes. You will also be able to place sports bets at selected professional sports stadiums as well as various sportsbooks that have yet to be named.
But once again this is only for sports betting and a few other options such as keno and horse racing. When you think of online casinos what normally readily comes to mind is the opportunity to bet on things such as card games and slots. These options are not available in Arizona.
Legal Online Poker
You can not play online poker in Arizona. You can, of course, play poker at one of the state's 26 casinos operated by Native Americans. Because the tribal casinos do offer poker and don't want others getting a piece of their action, it is one of the reasons online poker has not been approved in the state.
In addition to the land-based casinos, you can also play poker socially at home. In these games, money can be exchanged providing the operator of the game doesn't take a profit. When a percentage of the pot is taken for profit, it is called the rake.
How to Set Up an Arizona Online Gambling Account
You can't currently set up an Arizona online gambling account. But when online sportsbooks go into operation later in 2021, it won't be difficult for you to sign up. The process is generally easy to understand and safe to use. Signing up will enable you to enjoy various benefits, including bonuses and promotions.
You should start to set up an online gambling account by going on a site's main page. Make sure the site is operating legally in Arizona, then read its terms and conditions. These will include its banking methods and other information you may have questions about.
Once you feel comfortable this is a good site for you, follow the instructions on how to set up an account. You begin by choosing your username and password. For security reasons, make sure your password is unique and difficult to guess. After providing information such as your name, email address, birth date, phone number, and address, verify your account with a two-step process legitimate online casinos will ask you to make. This could be done either through a text or email. Some sites may also ask you to verify who you are by submitting a photocopy of an ID. Once you have established your account, make sure to collect any welcome bonuses. Finally, set up the way you want to do your banking and hit the deposit button.
Many Arizona gamblers will like the fact you will not have to go to one of the physical locations at either a tribal casino or sports stadium in order to set up an account. Under the new law, you will be allowed to remotely set up an online account through your computer or phone.
On the flip side, by going to a land-based locale you will be able to have any questions readily answered and receive in-person help if needed while filling out the application for your account.
Arizona Banking Methods
The banking methods Arizona online gambling sites will require may vary, but as a general rule, they will all operate in pretty much the same way.
You will be asked to provide some basic information. That will often include your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, and the last four numbers of your social security number.
From there, you will need to choose how to deposit money into your account. One common way is with an electronic wallet such as PayPal. These are popular because they are easy to set up and secure. Another common way to make deposits is with credit cards such as Mastercard, Visa, and Discover. Similarly, you can also use prepaid cards in which you load the card with money from your bank and then transfer it to your online gambling account.
You can also use bank transfers, by which money is withdrawn from your bank and deposited in your online account or e-checks. These are an electronic funds transfer (EFT) that uses the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network.
The speed at which your money is deposited and withdrawn is usually pretty fast. However, keep in mind that withdrawals tend to take longer and average around 48 hours. Electronic transfers occur faster than other ways such as a money order or check. The way you make withdrawals is often the same way as you make deposits, only in reverse. It's often possible to receive your money faster by paying an extra fee.
When it comes to cashing out your money, two things to consider are the variety of withdrawal methods along with the best sites for fast payouts.
The Future of Online Gambling in Arizona
With online sports betting now approved, it will be interesting to see where Arizona goes from here. As of early 2021 there has not been much of a push to also adopt casino game online gambling, in part because of opposition from the operators of the state's tribal casinos.
On the other hand, the fact online sports gambling is sure to generate a lot of money for the state will prove to be very beneficial for Arizona's economy. While every state has its own set of unique circumstances, the general trend around the country has been the adoption of one form of online gambling has often led to the addition of others.
Arizona has already come a long way from the conservative attitude it had prior 1988 when it passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) that recognized gaming as a way to promote tribal economic development through land-based casinos. While it may take some time, it would come as no surprise if additional Arizona online gambling opportunities became available in the future.
