Arizona's DFS market to go live Saturday with FanDuel, DraftKings and Penn National

As the Arizona Department of Gaming announced Wednesday in the second of three pre-launch operator meetings, approved Arizona daily fantasy sports operators can go live as early as 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 28; and approved event operators can begin creating, financing and marketing accounts at the same time. 

There are 20 operator licenses for events available, 10 each earmarked for professional sports teams/franchises and regular casinos.

So far, FanDuel and Penn National Gaming have publicly stated that they have received licenses. DraftKings joined them on Friday, announcing that Arizona will be the 44th state to offer DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports. ADG announced earlier this month that it had received 16 tribal applications and was working through a list of criteria to determine how licenses should be awarded. 

The agency has indicated that it will notify operators of whether or not they are approved by August 27.

On the professional team / franchise side, ADG received 10 applications. FanDuel, which is a partnership with the Phoenix Suns; and Penn National, which is partnering with Phoenix Raceway and will offer its digital app under the Barstool Sportsbook brand, both plan to launch digital sports betting as soon as ADG allows it. September 9 is the target date.

FanDuel also received approval as a daily fantasy sports operator and plans to start on 28 August. Both FanDuel and Barstool Sports will be able to benefit from being first on the market.

During the meeting, ADG announced that “several” DFS approvals have already been granted, and that operators must have the fantasy sports competition operator’s internal controls and house rules approved by 16.00 PT 27 August. Saturday, August 28 start date is a starting point; ADG states that it will continue to review the paperwork and approve DFS operators.

On event bets or sports betting, ADG repeatedly reminded operators to ensure that providers were well underway with the approval process, as an operator will not receive a clear signal to go live unless all providers are approved.