With Gov. Doug Ducey signing off on a gambling expansion bill, partnerships with sport entertainment entities in Arizona are becoming a hot item for gambling companies. FanDuel Sportsbook engaged its full-court press on this matter Thursday.
Just a day after DraftKings Sportsbook announced a similar deal with TPC Scottsdale, FanDuel Arizona reached an agreement with the Phoenix Suns to offer daily fantasy sports and sports betting in AZ.
The result will be a new experience for NBA fans in the state in future seasons.
FanDuel Sportsbook coming to Phoenix Suns Arena
According to a press release, FanDuel will operate a retail sportsbook inside Phoenix Suns Arena, home of the Suns and the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. The plans include 6,300 square feet with lounge seating, a betting window and self-service kiosks.
Additionally, FanDuel will also be available online statewide. There are still unanswered questions, however. Among those are whether FanDuel will operate the sportsbook year-round.
Also, it’s uncertain whether bettors will be able to place wagers on Mercury and Suns games in progress at the arena. Even if that is the case, those markets may be limited. When the Arizona Department of Gaming issues its regulations, the answers to those questions will become clear.
Even though regulated sports betting is now on a path to launching in the state, the necessary licensing process to make this all a reality is still incomplete. It’s not clear whether FanDuel or the Suns will actually hold the license.
There’s no guarantee that the party that applies will actually receive a license. However, because of the sway these entities hold in the state and their participation in the legislative process, it’s a good bet that the state will issue one here.
There’s no timeline for the launch of FanDuel either online or at the arena right now. After the sportsbook receives regulatory approval, a time frame will become more evident. Evident at this moment, though, is the growing demand for this kind of partnership in Arizona. Additionally, there are still some big fishes to land.
Cardinals, Coyotes, and Diamondbacks, oh my!
As of the time of this writing, three similar organizations remain uncommitted to a gambling partner. Those are the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Coyotes and Arizona Diamondbacks. All three could be eligible for sports betting licenses under the new law.
That leaves room for other brands like BetMGM, BetRivers, PointsBet and William Hill to snag market access, among others. The Phoenix Raceway and perhaps the Mercury (FanDuel’s press release makes no mention of the WNBA franchise but they do play their home games in the same arena as the Sun) are also possibilities.
The new law in Arizona reserves half of the 20 sports betting licenses for such organizations. (The other half goes to the state’s tribes.) Thus, there are plenty to go around among incoming operators.
For many Suns fans in the near future, game days will feature more ways to engage with the sport on the court.
