Arizona regulators are making ready to award further occasion wagering licenses, with the Arizona Division of Gaming (ADG) asserting a brand new software interval that may start subsequent month.
The company confirmed that it would begin accepting purposes on June 26, 2026, with the submission window remaining open till July 10 at 5 p.m. Arizona time. The transfer creates a chance for brand new operators to enter one of many largest sports activities betting markets in the US following a sequence of sportsbook closures and business consolidation that decreased the variety of lively license holders.
The upcoming licensing spherical will make out there at the least one license reserved for an Arizona tribe and at the least one license reserved for an Arizona sports activities franchise companion, in accordance with state laws governing occasion wagering.
Cliff Holden, Assistant Director of Certification and Licensing on the ADG, mentioned in a press launch [pdf]: “Because the state regulator, we stay devoted to shopper safety and an intensive licensing overview course of. We sit up for receiving new purposes for regulated occasion wagering.”
Accessible Licenses Return to Market
Arizona launched authorized occasion wagering and sports activities betting in 2021 after lawmakers authorised a framework permitting as much as 20 operator licenses. The laws divided these licenses equally, reserving ten for Arizona tribes and ten for skilled sports activities franchise companions.
Though the market initially attracted a lot of operators, the variety of lively licensees has declined over time. Arizona at present has 14 licensed operators, leaving room for added entrants.
A number of sportsbooks have exited the state lately as operators reassessed their nationwide methods. Corporations together with Betfred, SuperBook Sports activities, Betway, Fubo Sportsbook, TwinSpires, Unibet and WynnBet have all ceased operations in Arizona. SaharaBets additionally left the market after shedding its sports activities franchise companion when the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes relocated to Utah.
The ADG periodically reopens the licensing course of each time positions turn into out there. The earlier software window passed off in July 2024.
State officers emphasised that purposes should be submitted through the designated interval. Any submissions obtained after the July 10 deadline is not going to be thought of throughout this licensing cycle.
Market Continues to Generate Sturdy Outcomes
Since authorized sports activities betting launched, Arizona has developed into one of many nation’s most lively wagering markets.
Based on figures launched by the regulator, bettors have wagered roughly $33.9 billion since 2021. That exercise has generated round $179.9 million in occasion wagering privilege charges for the state.
Arizona’s sports activities betting business additionally produced greater than $713 million in betting income throughout 2025. The state’s wagering deal with ranks among the many largest within the nation and is at present the sixth-highest amongst U.S. jurisdictions.
The present operator checklist contains most of the business’s largest manufacturers, akin to DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365 and Fanatics.
The licensing course of arrives at a time when the broader sports activities betting business continues to evolve. Alongside consolidation amongst conventional sportsbook operators, prediction markets have emerged as a rising space of competitors that would affect alternatives for future market members.
Assessment Course of and Client Safety Focus
The Arizona Division of Gaming mentioned all purposes will bear analysis primarily based on the necessities established in state statutes and occasion wagering laws.
Potential candidates have been inspired to overview the company’s licensing supplies, software types and charge necessities earlier than submitting documentation. The regulator additionally directed events to its on-line assets and continuously requested questions supplies for added steerage.
Whereas increasing the variety of licensed operators stays a precedence, the division burdened that shopper safety will stay central to the overview course of.
The ADG oversees tribal gaming, occasion wagering, fantasy sports activities contests, racing and pari-mutuel wagering all through Arizona. The company additionally helps accountable playing packages via its Division of Drawback Playing, together with schooling, remedy and prevention initiatives.
