Ak-Chin community gets sports betting license, Phx Rising misses out

The Arizona Department of Gaming announced Tuesday that the Ak-Chin Indian Community, with its sportsbook partner, bet365, was the only recipient of a new event wagering license in the most recent offering.

Two licenses for sports franchises still remain available.

Arizona allows a total of 20 licenses to be awarded, 10 for tribes and 10 for sports franchises.

The Ak-Chin Indian Community had previously been awarded an events wagering license, but its former operating partner, Fubo Sportsbook, a subsidiary of Fubo TV, shut down its sports betting arm in October 2022.

Leaders of Phoenix Rising FC, which was denied a license in the first round, were hopeful they could secure a license this time, but the short application window did not give their sportsbook partner enough time, club officials said.

An announcement was made in July that teams could again apply for licenses.

"Phoenix Rising FC was eager to once again apply for an event-wagering license, however the extremely short notice and application window provided by the Arizona Department of Gaming made it impossible for our preferred designated sports betting operator to fulfill the required information by the deadline,” Bobby Dulle, president of Phoenix Rising FC, said in an email. “We are hopeful there will be another application window soon that will allow us more time to re-apply."

Team officials did not mention which sportsbook operator they were planning to use.

Phoenix Rising had been denied a license in the first round, possibly because there was some disagreement at the time whether the team qualified as playing “at the highest level” of the sport, which is a requirement in the law to get an event wagering license, club leadership said in July.

With the award of the license to the Ak-Chin Indian Community, all 10 licenses for tribes have been awarded. However, in August, WynnBET, which was the partner to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, announced it would close operations in Arizona and seven other states, meaning one more license will no longer be in use.

All of Arizona’s gaming tribes are allowed to operate a sportsbook in casino facilities on tribal land. The awarding of the license also allows them to operate a mobile betting app.

Eight of the state’s licenses for sports franchises have been awarded, meaning two have yet to be issued.

Three retail sportsbook locations affiliated with sports franchises have opened in the Valley, with one more nearing completion. DraftKings Sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale will open this fall, making it the first PGA Tour tournament site with a sportsbook.

In Phoenix, FanDuel’s sportsbook at the Footprint Center and Caesars sportsbook at Chase Field are open.

In Glendale, BetMGM has a physical location near State Farm Stadium.