Arizona

PlayAZ.com: Arizona sportsbooks to eventually attract more than $3 billion in bets annually

Published

3 years ago

April 20, 2021

Arizona will grow into a particularly lucrative market for its fledgling sports betting industry, capable of generating more than $3 billion in annual wagers and $200 million in annual gross gaming revenue, according to estimates by PlayAZ.com, which analyzes and researches the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.

“Arizona is particularly exciting development for legal sports betting in the U.S., with a collection of attributes that will likely help the market mature quickly,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayAZ.com. “In fact, few other of the recently launched U.S. markets have quite as many positive characteristics. Because of this, the future is quite bright in Arizona.”

When Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation to legalize sports betting in Arizona last week, the Grand Canyon State joined 26 other U.S. states and Washington D.C., that have regulated online sports betting in some form. Twenty-two of those jurisdictions have launched.

According to PlayAZ projections on an Arizona population of 7.3 million, Arizona sportsbooks could take in as much $3.3 billion in wagers annually at maturity, which could come as soon as the market’s third year. That would produce as much as $225 million in gross gaming revenue annually, assuming a 7% “hold,” which is the percentage sportsbooks keep after paying out winning bets.

With a hypothetical 8% tax rate, the state projects $12.3 million in annual tax revenue. But the final tax rate is yet to be determined, and with promotional credits that will reduce the tax liability for operators, an accurate projection is impossible.

Indiana, which launched sports betting in 2019, may be Arizona’s closest comparison among current markets. With some 500,000 fewer residents than Arizona, the Hoosier State produced $1.8 billion in bets and $138.4 million in gross operator revenue in 2020, despite major U.S. sports being shut down for more than three months in 2020. Through the first three months of 2021, Indiana sportsbooks have taken in $938.9 million in bets, including $316.7 million in March alone. The first quarter has produced $72.8 million in gross gaming revenues for Indiana sportsbooks, generating $6.9 million in state taxes.

“There is no question that Arizona will be a fruitful market, but there are still a lot of moving parts that will need to be sorted before launch,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst at PlayUSA.com. “Based on what is known now, though, the basic framework will be appealing for sportsbook operators.”

Arizona has a unique collection of positive attributes that should help make it flourish. For one, Arizona has a vibrant sporting landscape that includes a professional team in all four major North American sports leagues, four NCAA Division I college athletic programs, NASCAR races, and multiple PGA Tour events. To capitalize on that landscape, Arizona’s bill has authorized stadiums and arenas over 10,000 seats, plus the Phoenix Raceway and TPC Scottsdale as licensees.

Also, Arizona is an appealing sports tourism market with fans regularly traveling from all over for special events such as college bowl games, the Super Bowl, and the NCAA Tournament, in addition to regular season games and baseball’s spring training. Plus, Arizona has the potential to appeal to some residents of Southern California, who currently count Nevada as their nearest legal sports betting option.

“One of the smartest things that Arizona did was to create a relatively open market, like Indiana, which will spur competition and raise the market’s ceiling,” Ramsey said. “We don’t know the entire framework yet in Arizona. But ultimately a truly competitive market benefits consumers while making the industry a reliable revenue producer for the state for years to come.”

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Arizona, visit PlayAZ.com/news.

ADG

Arizona Department of Gaming Announces Allocation for Event Wagering License

Published

1 month ago

March 18, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

arizona-department-of-gaming-announces-allocation-for-event-wagering-license

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced today that it has allocated an event wagering operator license to Fanatics Betting and Gaming as the designee for Tonto Apache Sports Betting, an organization of the Tonto Apache Tribe, pursuant to A.R.S. § 5-1304 and A.A.C. R19-4-105 and 106.

On January 16, 2024, ADG announced that it would begin accepting applications for available event wagering licenses, which included 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 February 16, 2024, and closed on March 4, 2024. Applicants were required to submit their completed applications within this timeframe in order to have been considered for an event wagering license.

2024 Casino Player Trends Report

Non-Gaming Offerings Crucial for Casinos to Attract Emerging Demographics, Build Loyalty: LaneTerralever Study

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

Data from study reveals 83.9% of Millennials and 80.5% of Gen Z weigh factors such as restaurants/bars, live entertainment and hotel amenities when choosing a casino to visit

LaneTerralever, a full-service marketing and customer experience agency with a division focused on casino, hospitality and entertainment destination brands, today released its new study, 2024 Casino Player Trends Report: How Non-Gaming Activities Are Transforming Casinos. The study, conducted in partnership with Anthony F Lucas, professor at UNLV’s College of Hospitality, measured the opinions of respondents aged 21 to 75 on various non-gaming offerings of both local and destination casinos and how they impact their loyalty to the properties they choose.

Non-Gaming Most Vital to Millennials/Gen Z and Still Important to Boomers/Gen X

Notably, 83.9% of Millennials and 80.5% of Gen Z indicated non-gaming activities such as restaurants and bars, live entertainment, hotel amenities, etc significantly impacted their decision-making process when choosing a local casino. While still significant, those numbers were smaller for older demographics including 65.3% of Boomers and 76.1% of Gen X reporting non-gaming offerings had a significant impact.

All Generations Budgeting Time and Money for Non-Gaming

Across all generations, it was found that ~20% of their time is spent doing something other than playing with non-gaming activities, something they specifically budgeted for – Millennials lead that group at 68%. Restaurants/bars were the top non-gaming activity mentioned for local casinos at 40.9%, followed by live entertainment at 23.2% and hotel amenities at 16%.

Visiting with Groups has Become Increasingly Important

The ‘group visit’ to casinos is seen as increasingly important, especially among younger market segments, with 80% of people visiting local casinos in groups and 87% of destination casino visitors doing the same. Notably, 70% of casino-goers say non-gaming offerings are more important when they visit with family and friends.

“Our study underscores the prevalence of the experience economy and how important it is for casino operators to continue to hone and expand their experiential and entertainment-focused offerings, particularly to attract the attention of younger generations and maintain long-term loyalty of all players,” the Marketing Vice-President for LaneTerralever, Nick Dan-Bergman, said.

Additional Noteworthy Findings:

Affluent Players are a Unique Segment, Value Non-Gaming Activities

Affluent visitors will likely spend 50% of their time on non-gaming activities during a single trip to a destination casino, meaning they prioritize non-gaming offerings more than the average player. They consider live entertainment most important with 27.2% of affluent players ranking it as their top non-gaming offering compared to 20% of non-affluent.

Hard Rock Leading Competition Among Non-Gaming Offerings

When asked which destination casino brand has the best non-gaming offerings, 21.1% chose Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. MGM Resorts International, at 20.1%, was a close second, followed by Caesars Entertainment at 13.8%.

Non-gaming and Customer Experience Offer Opportunity to Build Deeper Relationship with Players

When it comes to fostering loyalty among players, non-gaming offerings once again ranked prominently among younger demographics with 69.3% of Millennials and 65.7% of Gen Z saying non-gaming features have at least some impact on their loyalty to local casinos. In comparison, just 56.9% of Boomers and 61.3% of Gen X scored this as important. In addition, customer experience was identified as a top way to build loyalty with 89% of casino-goers saying good customer experience can lead them to choose a smaller casino over a larger brand.

Opportunities to Entice Online Bettors to Visit In-Person

Gauging the prevalence of online versus in-person wagering within the context of age groups, 73% of Gen Z and Millennials indicated they’ve placed a bet online. When the topic turned to in-person wagers, the responses effectively flipped, with 79% of Boomers stating they’ve placed a bet at a brick-and-mortar establishment; a significantly higher proportion than Gen Z and Millennials

Webinar Presenting Key Research Findings

The authors of the research are hosting a webinar in partnership with Tribal Gaming and Hospitality Magazine on Tuesday, February 13 at 10am PST. They’ll present the highlights of their findings and host a panel discussion; register to attend here.

To download the full 2024 Casino Player Trends Report, visit LaneTerralever .com.

Ak-Chin Indian Community

bet365 announces official launch in Arizona

Published

2 months ago

February 8, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bet365-announces-official-launch-in-arizona

bet365 announced its official launch in the great state of Arizona in a partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian Community. This news marks the ninth state in bet365’s expansion into the United States, which includes Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa and Colorado.

“Like bet365, the Arizona sporting scene is Never Ordinary and boasts several professional and college teams, earth-shaking, fan-favorite moments, and exhilarating championship events,” said a bet365 spokesperson. “Just in time for the Big Game, sports fans in the Grand Canyon State can enjoy the bet365 experience featuring market leading offerings like amazing Bet Boosts, the fastest In-Game product, and Same Game Parlays.”

As a part of their partnership, bet365 will also be making a $1 million charitable donation to the Ak-Chin Indian Community in support of local initiatives designed to make a positive impact in the lives of tribal members.

“We are excited to partner with bet365, and appreciate its charitable contribution to the Community and vital services for Ak-Chin Members,” said Chairman Robert Miguel of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. “With bet365, we will be able to provide our customers a premier experience – no matter whether they visit our sportsbook in-person or online.” Sports bettors in Arizona can register for the new bet365 website at az.bet365.com/.