BetMGM Announces Sports Betting Partnership with Arizona Cardinals
BetMGM has secured Arizona online sports betting market access in a big way. BetMGM and the Arizona Cardinals announced a partnership to offer online sports betting in the state and open a retail sportsbook at State Farm Stadium by the 2022 NFL season.
The deal will also allow BetMGM to open retail sportsbooks at the three Arizona Gila River casino properties, according to the announcement.
Arizona plans to launch its online sports betting program by Sept. 9, just prior to the first week of the NFL season.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to build upon our long-standing relationship with Gila River and launch a new one with BetMGM. They are best-in-class partners whose excellence and expertise in this emerging space will provide a new and innovative way to engage and interact with our fans,” Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in the announcement.
This is the first announced retail sportsbook for an NFL stadium. The targeted opening will be in time for the 2022 NFL season. The only current operating sportsbook located in a U.S. stadium or arena is the William Hill sportsbook at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
“Arizona sports fans are extremely passionate and we’re confident they’ll enjoy the BetMGM experience,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Gila River Hotels & Casinos and the Arizona Cardinals represent the state’s premier casino destinations and sports franchise, making them the ideal partners for us.”
This is the ninth announced sports betting partnership in Arizona. Both FanDuel and DraftKings announced early partnerships in the state, with DraftKings agreeing to expand its existing commercial relationship with the PGA Tour to bring retail and mobile sports betting to TPC Scottsdale. FanDuel announced a partnership with the Phoenix Suns to build a luxury 6,300 square-foot in-arena sportsbook for the 2021-2022 NBA season.
Barstool sportsbook recently announced a partnership with NASCAR and Phoenix Raceway to provide online and in-person sports betting at the track.
Here are the other announced partnerships in the state:
- The Phoenix Mercury and Bally’s Corporation announced a 15-year gaming agreement in late June, the first gaming access deal for a professional women’s sports team. It provides Bally’s market access to its 15th state, according to a press release.
- Caesars also announced a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks to launch mobile sports betting in Arizona and build a sportsbook and bar concept on the plaza adjacent to the team’s home, Chase Field.
- WynnBet announced its own partnership with the San Carlos Apache Tribe to pursue an online sports betting license in Arizona.
- PointsBet and Cliff Castle Hotel Casino have partnered in the state of Arizona in order to set the path to offer legal online sports betting in the state upon launch. Cliff Castle Casino Hotel is owned and operated by the Yavapai-Apache Nation tribe, and this allows for PointsBet to be one of the 20 legal sportsbooks that can be offered in the state of Arizona.
- Kindred Group (Unibet) announced a 10-year partnership with the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation in early 2021 to offer in-person and online sports betting.