This weekend is the first time where Arizonans can legally place bets on college sports. Chief among them being college football.
When it comes to money surrounding collegiate athletics, there’s always been a perceived slippery slope.
But with the legalization of sports betting in more and more states, that stigma seems to be loosening up a bit. Not to mention that college athletes are now allowed to get paid for their name, image and likeness.
So while NFL games may see the most bets, college football is expected to see its fair share of action. That said, lawmakers and the Arizona Department of Gaming have certain rules surrounding what you can and cannot bet on for college sports.
Can: Wager on Arizona college sports
Like betting on pro sports, bettors can place wagers in the form of answering a simple question, “Who Ya Got?”
Across all the sportsbooks, moneyline wagers will be available for college football betting in Arizona. This allows you to put money down on who you think will win any game outright.
For example, this weekend is the first chance Arizonans can place a wager on the ASU Sun Devils. Oddsmakers view Arizona State as a heavy favorite at home against UNLV. For example, FanDuel in Arizona lists the Sun Devils at . Meaning, a wager of any kind won’t profit much for the bettor.
In games that are viewed as one-sided, bettors may want to look towards placing some money on the spread or the over/under for total points. In this case, FanDuel has ASU as a favorite with an over/under on the game set at .
You can also place bets on things like the outcomes of each half and how many points each team will score.
Cannot: In-game prop sports betting a no-no
In pro football, you can put down prop bets. For example, a $5 wager that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will throw for 3 touchdowns in a game.
However, Arizona sports betting legislation specifically prohibits bets on “actions, events, occurrences or nonoccurrences” in college games. In other words, no college prop bets.
When you use any of the AZ mobile betting apps, you are not even given the option to place any prop bets on a college game.
Can: Futures bets on college games
College football futures bets are good to go in Arizona. You can put money down on a team to make the College Football Playoff, for example. Another common option is wagering on the eventual winner of a particular conference. According to BetMGM Arizona, ASU is +500 to win the Pac-12 Conference title.
Another popular wager is on who you think will eventually win the Heisman Trophy. However, some of the sportsbooks that are live in Arizona do not currently have that as an option. If you go to DraftKings Arizona, you’ll see it under player futures with ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels at +5000 odds to win it. But you may not find it on some of the other sportsbook operators.
State law says that there shall be no individual prop betting for players in games. But it does allow for individual futures, like “Who will win the Heisman.” The Arizona Department of Gaming is still reviewing and approving various types of bets and betting markets requested by sportsbooks. So while you may not see Heisman betting right now, you could see it very soon.
Maybe? FCS college football sports betting tough to come by
In Arizona, there is a strong love for the small college football team to the north. The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks compete in the Football Championship Subdivision, which some may still refer to as Division I-AA.
While teams like NAU have a strong following from their fan bases, most sportsbooks will not have regular-season FCS games available for wagering. That could change during the postseason, however.
All that said, you can take a chance on your favorite FCS school if/when they go up against an FBS school. During the 2021 season, NAU will be heading to Tucson to play the Arizona Wildcats on Sept. 18. That should be an opportunity for Lumberjack fans to put some cash down on their team.
