We’ve reached the halfway point when it comes to the launch of sports betting operations in Arizona, with Rush Street Interactive/BetRivers Arizona being the ninth entrant to the market Friday afternoon.
The site BetRivers Sportsbook Arizona officially went live at noon Friday Arizona time. The Arizona Department of Gaming told BetArizona.com that Bet Rivers had been "approved today (Friday) for operations."
The company, which is partnered with the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League, joins BetMGM Arizona, Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, Penn National Interactive/Barstool Sports, TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona, Unibet Arizona and WynnBET Arizona in the Arizona marketplace.
Others, like Bally’s, Betfred, Digital Gaming, Fubo Gaming, Golden Nugget and SuperBook Sports have received licenses to start Arizona betting apps but have yet to open.
Sportsbook Partnerships in Arizona
A total of 18 parties have received licenses (of 20 available), with the Arizona Department of Gaming having no plans currently to allocate the final two, per a department representative.
So far, here’s a list of sportsbooks and their partners in the Arizona sports betting marketplace:
- BetMGM Arizona (Arizona Cardinals/Gila River Indian Community)
- Caesars Sportsbook (Arizona Diamondbacks)
- DraftKings Sportsbook (TPC Scottsdale/PGA Tour)
- FanDuel Sportsbook (Phoenix Suns)
- Penn National Interactive/Barstool Sports (Phoenix International Raceway/NASCAR)
- Rush Street Interactive/BetRivers (Arizona Rattlers)
- TwinSpires Sportsbook (Tonto Apache Tribe)
- Unibet Arizona (Quechan Tribe)
- WynnBET Arizona (San Carlos Apache Tribe)
- Bally’s (Phoenix Mercury)
- Fubo Gaming (Ak-Chin Indian Community)
- Betfred Arizona (Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation)
- Golden Nugget (Hualapai Tribe)
- SuperBook Sports (Fort Mohave Indian Tribe)
- MaximBet Arizona (White Mountain Apache Tribe)
- Navajo Nation (TBD)
- Arizona Coyotes (TBD)
- Bet365 (TBD)
Who’s Next to Launch in Arizona?
All signs point to Fubo Gaming as the next entrant in the Arizona sports betting marketplace.
Representatives from the company told BetArizona.com they are on track to launch in Arizona during the fourth quarter of 2021, as well as in other states like Colorado and Indiana.
Bally’s says it will be operational in Arizona by early 2022, while representatives from Golden Nugget declined to comment on a potential opening timeline in Arizona.
Representatives from Digital Gaming, bet365, Betfred and MaximBet did not respond to a request for comment from BetArizona.com.
How Arizona Sports Betting Market Has Performed
Rush Street Interactive joins an Arizona sports betting marketplace that has performed as well as any other state in the country during its opening month of operation.
According to geolocation firm GeoComply, Arizona ranked fourth out of 18 states and the District of Columbia in NFL betting transactions during September, at 36.9 million.
The Grand Canyon State ranked behind New Jersey (70.5 million), Pennsylvania (64.6 million) and Michigan (44.3 million) in terms of transactions.
Arizona NFL sports betting ranked fourth overall in transactions when measured by volume, at 11.2%, trailing the same three states.
The 48th State’s betting surge has been fueled in large part by the 6-0 start of the Arizona Cardinals, who are off to their best opening stretch since 1974.
The Cardinals currently have the third-best Super Bowl betting odds at BetMGM (+450), while FanDuel Sportsbook (+1000), DraftKings Sportsbook (+1100) and Caesars Sportsbook (+1100) all have Arizona among their top title contenders.
