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.

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.

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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.

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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%.

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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

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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.

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/.

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