The wait is nearly over for daily fantasy sports fans in Arizona ready to rely on their favorite players to win them some money.
Approved DFS operators can go live as early as 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
While authorized mobile sports betting apps can begin marketing and allow customers to set up accounts, regulated sportsbooks cannot begin taking bets for another two weeks. Still, the Arizona Department of Gaming will permit licensed AZ fantasy sports operators to start accepting entries for DFS contests.
That means baseball fans can attempt to hit a home run with the perfect lineup this weekend — and in turn, take home some cash. MLB has a loaded schedule of games Saturday and Sunday. So people at the ballpark will have a whole lot to cheer about.
Some DFS operators ready to go in Arizona
Daily fantasy sports ratchets up the concept of traditional fantasy sports several notches by allowing participants to enter contests and set new fantasy new lineups daily and intra-day basis for a wide variety of sports.
The ADG revealed that allocations for “several” DFS operators have been approved at a meeting on Wednesday. However, the agency stressed that to be up and running early Saturday, operators need to have both internal controls and house rules green-lighted by 4 p.m. on Friday.
To no surprise, DraftKings and FanDuel plan to get a jumpstart in the Arizona market. The two leading platforms in the DFS world expect to launch Arizona apps on Aug. 28. Meanwhile, there will be a healthy amount of cross-promotion and appealing offers targeted at DFS players who might be interested in sports betting.
What you need to know about Arizona DFS
The same legislation authorizing legal sports betting in the Grand Canyon State also legalized fantasy sports in Arizona. And similar to sports betting, DFS must follow regulations set forth by the ADG.
Here are some important details ahead of the launch of daily fantasy sports in Arizona:
- You must be at least 21 years old
- When you sign up, you will need to provide your full name, date of birth, residential address and email address
- You will need to set up an account number or username
- You need a valid funding method. For example, a debit card or credit card. Checks can also be issued
A geolocation check determines if a player is not located in the state or another jurisdiction where fantasy sports contests are legal. In other words, you will be blocked from entering a daily fantasy lineup if you are in Montana.
