Talking Stick and Casino Arizona have launched a mobile app, available for iOS and Android devices.
The app is a redesigned experience that allows customers to check in, enter contests, and more. It could give the casinos a head start if Arizona legalizes online gaming in the future.
Is this a step toward online casinos?
Arizona sports betting is thriving, but the state has yet to make meaningful moves toward legalizing online casinos. It’s hard to draw a line between Talking Stick and Casino Arizona’s new app and a potential online casino market in the state. A lot of dominos need to fall for Arizona online casinos to be legalized.
Ramon Martinez, Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resorts director of public relations hinted the new app could be a step in that direction.
“At Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort, we are always looking for ways to utilize the latest technology to enhance our guests’ experience. They expect to be able to access everything on their phones, and our partnership with Sightline Technology, the improved Talking Stick Resort app, will do just that. It will revolutionize the way they interact with our properties.”
The new app from Talking Stick and Casino Arizona does lay some groundwork for the casinos. Should online casinos become legal in Arizona, the properties will have a proverbial foot in the door with an existing mobile app. It would still require a hefty development process to integrate a regulated online casino platform.
Still, it’s a start.
The recent launch of Arizona Lottery’s Lucky Lounge, a sweepstakes-style platform, could show that the state is eager to cash in on the online casino opportunity. Lucky Lounge is not unique among its competitors; sweepstakes casinos have long been available in Arizona and dozens of other states. However, it is the first of its kind in that the state has sanctioned the site. Arizona Lottery‘s willingness to endorse a sweepstakes casino like Lucky Lounge could be a harbinger of real-money online casinos.
Are Talking Stick and Casino Arizona not interested in online sports betting?
This year, Arizona has lost a handful of sportsbooks, opening up new licenses. Speculation abounds as to which organizations will seek a license, with Phoenix Rising and the Yavapai-Apache Nation the top possible contenders.
The Arizona Department of Gaming opened applications for AZ sports betting licenses on Aug. 1, and the deadline was Aug. 15. The ADG hasn’t released any information about which organizations applied. Talking Stick and Casino Arizona seem unlikely to be among the applicants, especially considering the new app. It wouldn’t make much sense to launch a new app while a license application is pending. Presumably, an operator would rather wait to see if they’re granted a license so they could incorporate sports betting into their app.
Either way, the ADG will determine which applicants qualify for a license and announce an updated timeline for further steps in the process. Should more applicants qualify than there are licenses available, the ADG will review supplemental allocation applications to decide who gets the license.
Talking Stick and Casino Arizona both have in-house sportsbooks with betting kiosks and betting counters. Talking Stick has 24/7 betting kiosks with a betting window open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Casino Arizona’s sportsbook is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
