PointsBet "remains hopeful" to operate in Arizona with only 2 remaining licenses available

Australian bookmaker PointsBet expressed on Tuesday that it “remains hopeful” it can secure a sports betting license in Arizona after a setback for its North American expansion plans, which involve launching in 11 more US states by the end of 2022. 

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the company claimed on Tuesday that it was “in a strong position” to secure a betting license in New York while capitalizing on the upcoming NFL season after becoming one of the league’s approved betting partners a fortnight ago. 

However, PointsBet’s expansion plans encountered a setback on Friday, with the announcement that the local partner in the Arizona license, Cliff Castle Casino, which is owned by the Yavapai-Apache Nation, had missed out on a sports betting license. 

Chief Executive Sam Swanell said he was considering challenging the decision. He also added that PointsBet was looking at other partners it could work with in the state, noting that two out of the 20 licences available were yet to be awarded. 

“We fully expected that we would be holding one of those licences. [So] fair to say it was a bit of a surprise”, Swanell said. “We believed we had the right partner, we’ll now have a look around and see how that plays out.”

PointsBet has also applied for a license in New York in a consortium with four casinos: Rush Street, WynnBET, Caesars and Resorts World. “Anyone would agree that’s a very strong group to be associated with, so we’re confident and hopeful”, expressed Swanell, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 

PointsBet currently operates in seven US states (Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, West Virginia and Iowa) and said on Tuesday it expects to launch in 11 more (including Pennsylvania, Arizona, Tennessee, Wyoming and Maryland) plus Canada’s most populous state Ontario by the end of calendar 2022.

The US is gradually opening up to online sports betting, following a 2018 supreme court ruling legalizing the industry, and its market is projected to be worth $51 billion by 2033. Turnover in the US jumped from $234.5 million to $1.3 billion in the 2021 financial year, according to the announcement by PointsBet released on Tuesday, as it started to operate in new markets. 

Arizona's allocated licenses

The Arizona Department of Gaming announced 18 approved licensees which are now enabled to go live as from September 9, 10 of which are tribes and the remaining 8 are sports organizations. 

The Arizona Department of Gaming completed today its evaluation period to allocate the ten available tribal event wagering operator licenses. Additionally, fantasy sports will go-live in the state at 12:01 AM tomorrow, 8/28. Learn more: https://t.co/e8YgDjQaKP

— Arizona Department of Gaming (@AzGaming) August 27, 2021

The list of allocated licenses to this date is: 

Tribes:

1. Fort Mojave Indian Tribe (SuperBook Sports)

2. Navajo Nation

3. Quechan Tribe (Kindred's Unibet Arizona)

4. Tonto Apache Tribe (Churchill Downs)

5. Tohono O’odham Nation

6. Hualapai Tribe (Golden Nugget)

7. Ak-Chin Indian Community

8. San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe (Digital Gaming)

9. San Carlos Apache Tribe (WynnBet)

10. Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation

Sports team/organizations:

1. Arizona Cardinals (BetMGM)

2. Arizona Diamondbacks (William Hill-Caesars)

3. Phoenix Suns (FanDuel)

4. Arizona Coyotes

5. Phoenix Mercury (Ballys)

6. TPC Scottsdale (DraftKings)

7. Phoenix Speedway (Penn National's Barstool)

8. Arizona Rattlers (Rush Street Interactive)