Given its proximity to Nevada, the world’s hub of gambling, one would expect that Arizona would embrace gambling full-on but that’s not exactly the case.
Residents of the Valley of the Sun state are very much interested in gambling, as is seen in the state’s lottery system which is the most popular in the United States of America. Nevertheless, the state is gambling-friendly to a large extent with some legal gambling activities that keep players engaged and generate revenue for the state.
Some of the legal forms of gambling in Arizona are casino gaming, lotteries, and dog and horse racing. Most of the land-based casinos in the state are tribal casinos. Internet gambling is also popular in other US states and legal in some but, there are no strict laws addressing this in Arizona.
Change in Arizona
Thankfully, this year saw the most significant improvement in Arizona’s online gambling space in almost two decades. Governor Doug Ducey, the current state governor, signed agreements with the native tribes, legalizing sports betting, daily fantasy sports, keno, and mobile sports. This agreement also lets existing tribal casinos in the state expand their game offerings by including more table games and permits the creation of new ones in metropolitan Phoenix.
Based on the agreement, the sports betting licenses will only be issued to tribal gambling operators and Arizona-based sports teams. Betting on college teams will be permitted but no prop bets will. The Keno games will also be hosted on horse race tracks and in their fraternal organizations only.
What can we hope for?
The last compact update before this was seen in 2003 and the negotiations that birthed these new adjustments lasted for five years. More progress is expected to be made in the state such as the introduction of licensed online poker rooms and online casino sites. This may take a while but this recent development has created hope that Arizona gamblers can hold on to.
The future of gambling everywhere in the world is online and Arizona is not left out here. There aren’t many indications to show that this is something that could happen anytime soon but it is inevitable. The internet has made gambling more accessible and online gambling itself has become a massive global market. The total revenue generated by the global online gambling space alone in 2019 was USD 53.7 billion. As a result, more governments are becoming more open to exploring this aspect of gambling.
Keep your eyes open…
If you’re an Arizona resident, this is certainly something to look forward to with more options to choose from and more opportunities to win, right from the comfort of your home. While you wait, explore as many legal options as you want, maximizing available chances to cash out in the state. The future just may be closer than you think!
