Arizona: two sports betting licences for Sporttrade and Plannatech

Garance Limouzy August 7, 2024

In Arizona, USA, the Department of Gaming (ADG)to Sporttrade and Plannatech. Both operators will partner with Native American tribes. Plannatech will collaborate with the San Carlos Apache Tribal Gaming Enterprise, while Sporttrade will team up with the Quechan Indian Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation. Sporttrade is now licensed to operate in four states: New Jersey, Colorado, Iowa, and Arizona. Plannatech, headquartered in the Isle of Man, powers the backend for Prime Sports, a sports betting platform. Each company paid an initial $850,000 for the licence and will pay $150,000 annually for renewal.

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Arizona’s licence system

Arizona state law permits 20 operators to provide sports betting services. Half of these must be associated with professional sports franchises and the other half with Native American nations.
In July, the Arizona Department of Gaming accepted submissions from operators for new licences, as only 17 sports betting companies were active in the state.
The two licences granted this month became available after other sportsbook operators exited the Arizona market. Previously, the San Carlos tribe partnered with WynnBET, and the Quechan tribe partnered with Kindred.

No sports franchise licence this time

Even though the law allows for two more licences linked to sports franchises, none have been awarded this month. All available licences for partnerships with professional sports franchises have already been granted, leaving no unpartnered sports associations. Some sports organisations attempted to qualify as professional sports franchises eligible for such partnerships but were denied by the Arizona Department of Gaming.

More licences to come

More licences are expected to become available as operators cease operations in Arizona. SaharaBets, formerly partnered with the Arizona Coyotes, will cease operations in the Grand Canyon state, following the team’s relocation to Salt Lake City. In July, SuperBook, in collaboration with the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, announced it would shut down operations in eight states, including Arizona. Betway, which had partnered with the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, also declared in July it would discontinue operations in Arizona.