Arizona Department of Gaming

Arizonans Bet Nearly $492M on Sporting Events in February

Published

3 years ago

May 6, 2022

Arizonans bet nearly $492 million on sporting events in February and won back all but $24 million of that money, a slight dip as pro football ended except for the Super Bowl on Feb. 13.

Tuesday’s report from the Arizona Department of Gaming on the sixth month of legalized sports betting showed sportsbooks made $24.4 million in gross profits after federal tax. But that was before they gave away $17.6 million in free bets that are designed to get state residents in the habit of gambling under the new law Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed last year.

That left $6.9 million in adjusted profits for the 18 professional sporting teams and tribes now running mobile or brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. The state take was just $670,000 in taxes. The state levies an 8% tax on retail wagers and 10% on mobile app bets.

The free bets eating into the profit and the state’s tax haul will phase out over the next several years. They start at 20% of gross receipts in the first two years and then drop to 15% and then 10% before ending in the sixth year of legalized sports betting.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

February’s numbers were slightly below January receipts of $563 million, profits of $19.6 million after free bets and state taxes of $1.9 million.

Department of Gaming Director Ted Vogt said in a statement that the slight drop in wagers compared to January was expected.

“Event wagering levels continue to indicate a strong market in Arizona. While there was a small decline in wagering activity, the state maintained a strong national presence in a traditionally slower month of sports wagering,” Vogt said in a statement.

Between the launch of sports betting and the end of the year, gamblers wagered more than $1.7 billion and the sports books made about $60 million in profit. That led to taxes paid to the state of $6.1 million.

ADG

Arizona Department of Gaming Cease-and-Desist: Bovada Online Gambling

Published

2 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

arizona-department-of-gaming-cease-and-desist:-bovada-online-gambling

The Arizona Department of Gaming (“ADG”) has taken action against an overseas gaming company in Curaçao that is allegedly operating illegal online gaming sites, Bovada.com and Bovada.lv (Bovada), accessible to Arizona residents. Following an investigation into the matter, the ADG sent a cease-and-desist letter to Harp Media B.V., which operates Bovada, on November 8, 2024.

The operation of Bovada in Arizona is alleged to be a felony criminal enterprise and Bovada has been directed to desist from any future illegal gambling operations or activities of any type in Arizona. Due to the unregulated and illegal online gaming offerings on Bovada, Harp Media B.V. is claimed to be in violation of Arizona gaming laws, including:

Promotion of Gambling (Felony) — Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-3303.
Illegal Control of an Enterprise (Felony) — Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-2312.
Money Laundering (Felony) — Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-2317.

Harp Media B.V. has been directed to immediately cease all online (or other) gambling operations and activities in Arizona, and take the necessary steps to immediately prevent and exclude Arizona residents from gambling on their websites.

“We are actively monitoring the evolving landscape of online gaming and taking proactive steps like this helps us protect Arizona’s communities and economy from illegal activities,” said Jackie Johnson, Director of the ADG. “Our enforcement team is committed to preventing unauthorized operations from establishing a foothold here. Arizona will not be a safe haven for unlicensed or unlawful gaming, nor will we allow unlawful entities to compromise the integrity of gaming within our state.”

In light of these developments, the Arizona Department of Gaming urges residents to exercise caution with online gaming activities. Only legal, regulated operations provide important consumer protections not found in the illegal market, helping ensure a safer experience for participants. Certain online event wagering is legal in Arizona. A list of all licensed and regulated event wagering operators legally taking bets in Arizona can be found on the Department’s website at gaming.az.gov.

ADG

Arizona Department of Gaming Releases September Sports Betting Figures

Published

3 weeks ago

November 25, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

arizona-department-of-gaming-releases-september-sports-betting-figures

Bettors in Arizona wagered approximately $732 million on sports in September of 2024, according to a new report by the Arizona Department of Gaming. This represents an approximate 20% increase when compared to September of 2023.

The state collected approximately $3.96 million in privilege fees in the month. You can view the full September report on the ADG website: LINK.

ADG

Arizona Department of Gaming Announces Allocations for Event Wagering Licenses

Published

4 months ago

August 6, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

arizona-department-of-gaming-announces-allocations-for-event-wagering-licenses

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced that it has allocated an event wagering operator license to Plannatech as the designee for the San Carlos Apache Tribal Gaming Enterprise, as well as allocated an event wagering operator license to Sporttrade as the designee for the Quechan Indian Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, pursuant to A.R.S. § 5-1304 and A.A.C. R19-4-105 and 106.

On June 7, 2024, ADG announced that it would begin accepting applications for available event wagering licenses, which included no less than one event wagering license reserved for Arizona Tribes and no less than one event wagering license reserved for Arizona Sports Franchises, as defined in A.R.S. § 5-1301(7).

The application window for event wagering licenses opened on July 8, 2024, and closed on July 19, 2024. Applicants were required to submit their completed applications within this timeframe in order to have been considered for an event wagering license.