Everyone place your bets: Legal sports betting in Arizona has officially launched.
While mobile betting apps launched early this morning, the brick-and-mortar ball got rolling in downtown Phoenix with the opening of the first retail sportsbook in the state.
Caesars had temporary betting windows up and running at 7 a.m. at Chase Field, right next to the ticket windows of the Arizona Diamondbacks home stadium. Gov. Doug Ducey was joined by members of the D-backs front office and several Caesars representatives and ambassadors.
Chase Field is the first MLB stadium to take in-person betting.
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Arizona bettors up bright and early to place wagers
The Diamondbacks and Caesars teamed up for the historic event, celebrating with a party right outside Chase Field.
Award-winning comedian and Caesars Sportsbook National Spokesperson JB Smoove got the crowd fired up as people lined up to place their bets ahead of the NFL season kickoff. Derrick Hall, team president of the Diamondbacks, emphasized the significance this moment carried for the state.
“We are the first baseball team with a sportsbook now to be open,” Hall said. “And it’s only a matter of time before the other 29 will as well.
“We’ve often said that if people want to place a bet and they want to bet on sports, they can find a way. And now we have a way of collecting that data, montering that data, watching that data. And more importantly we can generate revenue for our state for the general fund.”
Ducey expressed his excitement seeing many people celebrating the grand opening of the sportsbook. He said it took a lot of effort and hard work. He also thanked members of the Arizona legislature for coming together and getting this done for the state.
“In March, I joined with lawmakers, tribal leaders and stakeholders to sign a tribal gaming compact that modernized where we were as a state. This amendment allows us to move forward with gaming in arizona, bring additional revenues for the state and our tribal nations.”
Additionally, Trey Wingo, formerly an ESPN anchor and currently Caesars’ chief trends officer, was on hand. He said Caesars Arizona will bring content for gambling veterans and rookies alike. The event capped off with JB Smoove presenting a check for $20,000 to the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation on behalf of Caesars Sportsbook.
Take a peek at Caesars Arizona retail sports betting
Even with six AZ sports betting apps going live today, several Arizonans couldn’t wait to place their bets in person.
One eager individual betting on the Phoenix Suns to win the NBA championship this upcoming season. This is fresh off the team’s recent NBA Finals appearance.
With AZ sports betting launched, now what?
Indeed, the wait is over. Legal sports betting now live in the Grand Canyon State.
In celebration, Caesars is offering new Arizona customers a bonus bet up to $5,000. If you lose the first wager, Caesars will reimburse the initial bet’s value if it was $5,000 or less. The minimum bet must be $5.
Even with a retail space set up and its app live in Arizona, Caesars still isn’t done.
The operator plans to open its permanent state-of-the-art sportsbook outside the stadium early next year in place of Game Seven Grill.
In the near future, several neighbors of the D-backs could feature a similar set-up. In addition to the Diamondbacks, the Arizona Department of Gaming awarded licenses for retail sportsbooks to seven other professional teams and venues. Just a quick walk from Chase Field, Footprint Center could house brick-and-mortar operations, as its three tenants (Suns, Mercury, Rattlers) each received licenses.
