The 12th mobile operator to launch its Arizona sports betting apps site is Fubo Gaming.
The company, which had previously said it planned on launching during the fourth quarter of 2021, officially rolled out its Arizona sports betting product Monday.
In doing so, the Chicago-based operator managed to beat out SuperBook Sports as the 12th operator to launch in the Grand Canyon state.
SuperBook Sports announced on Thursday it would launch operations in Arizona between Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.
Fubo Sportsbook President Scott Butera told BetArizona.com the company is ready to hit the ground running in the Grand Canyon state.
“We’re really excited to be in Arizona, obviously,” Butera said. “It’s turned out to be a great sports betting market, in the short bit of time that it’s been up and running.”
What Fubo Brings to Arizona Sports Betting
Fubo Sportsbook was one of 18 operators to receive mobile licenses from the Arizona Department of Gaming — thanks to its partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian Community.
Butera said the company, which touts its app-to-streaming capabilities, should fit in perfectly with the Arizona marketplace — given the strong demand for FuboTV in the state and the name recognition that elevated interest can generate.
“We take a very different approach to wagering, in that we’re sort of truly integrated, with TV, video streaming, and wagering,” Butera said. “And the reason for that is our media entity, unlike a lot of other media companies, is actually willing to go through the licensing process from a gaming standpoint. So, our product is truly integrated and truly synchronized.”
Fubo Sportsbook customers can watch a soccer match on FuboTV and have betting lines and other valuable information pop up on a user’s screen, giving customers a truly integrated viewing and wagering experience from their own home.
“We cover all the sports, more than 50,000 events a year, and from a geographic standpoint, [the Arizona market] makes a lot of sense for us,” Butera said. “So, being in Arizona, having a great partner, and being able to find a home that really allows us to accentuate our truly unique features of this whole watching, wagering experience was important to us.”
Importance of Fubo’s Ak-Chin Partnership
The partnership that Butera mentions is Fubo Sportsbook’s mobile-only sportsbook deal with the Ak-Chin Indian Community, who also have a retail sportsbook partnership (through its Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino) with Caesars Sportsbook.
Butera said the triparty relationship is truly special, especially since Caesars Sportsbook was responsible for connecting Fubo Sportsbook and the Ak-Chin Indian Community in the first place.
“Our current partnership has actually been outstanding,” Butera said. “[Caesars] has been outstanding, they’re an excellent partner. The Ak-Chin Indian Community are a fantastic partner.
“And we’re really the mobile operator, so we don’t have any conflicts with what’s going on at the [Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino] property. And hopefully, we can benefit them by driving people to the property as well.”
The tribe is allowed to have multiple operator partners, thanks to the fact on-reservation gaming is a separate regulatory jurisdiction than off-reservation mobile wagering.
Building Arizona into Fubo’s West Coast Anchor
Arizona is the second state Fubo Sportsbook has launched in. It debuted its online betting app in Iowa in November. The company also has market access agreements in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New Jersey.
The company launched its sportsbook operation in November 2021 and is an offshoot of FuboTV, which is a live TV streaming platform.
Butera sees Arizona, which has a larger population (7.7 million) than Iowa (3.1 million) and Indiana (6.7 million), as the company’s anchor market in the western half of the country.
“For all the reasons I’ve mentioned — from our [FuboTV] viewership, to the nature of our product — it gives us a really strong presence on the West Coast,” Butera said. “It’s a competitive environment, but we think it’s an important state for us going forward.”
The sportsbook is built to complement the company’s TV operations, creating what it calls “a personalized omniscreen experience that turns passive viewers into active and engaged participants.”
That synergistic approach to wagering allows Fubo Sportsbook to utilize its streaming service to maximize revenues, both from traditional advertising and its sports wagering haul, according to Butera.
“We’re creating experiences where people are watching sports and betting on sports, as opposed to your traditional sportsbook,” Butera said. “We really want to create a package of viewership where our customers can not just watch a live event but be a part of the action.”
Fubo Sportsbook has previously announced sports betting partnerships with NASCAR, as well as with the New York Jets of the NFL and Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA.
Which Tribes Have Launched Mobile Operations?
Fubo Sportsbook joins Betfred Arizona (McDowell Yavapai Nation), Unibet Arizona (Quechan Tribe), WynnBET Arizona (San Carlos Apache Tribe), and TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona (Tonto Apache Tribe) as sportsbook apps partnered with tribes that have launched operations.
The Golden Nugget (Hualapai Tribe), Digital Gaming (San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe), and the Navajo Nation (TBA) received mobile licenses in August but have yet to launch operations.
Who’s Licensed to Operate in Arizona?
A total of 18 operators were licensed by the ADG in August, split between 10 tribes and eight professional sports teams.
Tribes that are part of the 2021 compact can conduct retail sportsbook operations on tribal grounds. The Ak-Chin Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, Tohono O’odham, and Pascua Yaqui Tribe have all recently opened retail sportsbooks.
Sports Betting Licensees- Ak-Chin Indian Community (Fubo Gaming)*
- Arizona Cardinals (BetMGM Arizona)*
- Arizona Coyotes (TBA)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (Caesars Sportsbook)*
- Arizona Rattlers (BetRivers Arizona)*
- Fort Mohave Indian Tribe (SuperBook Sports)
- McDowell Yavapai Nation (Betfred Arizona)*
- Hualapai Tribe (Golden Nugget)
- Navajo Nation (TBA)
- Phoenix Mercury (Bally Sports Arizona)
- Phoenix Speedway (Penn National Interactive/Barstool Sports)*
- Phoenix Suns (FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona)*
- Quechan Tribe (Unibet Arizona*
- San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe (Digital Gaming)
- San Carlos Apache Tribe (WynnBET Arizona)*
- Tohono O’odham Nation (Kambi Group)*
- Tonto Apache Tribe (TwinsSpires Arizona)*
- TPC Scottsdale (DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona)*
- Ak-Chin Indian Community (Caesars Sportsbook)*
- Gila River Indian Community (BetMGM Arizona)*
- Pascua Yaqui Tribe (Scientific Gaming)*
- Yavapai-Apache Nation (IGT PlaySports)
* — Have launched operations
