The Arizona Cardinals are the first NFL team to announce plans to operate a sportsbook out of their home stadium.
Earlier this week BetMGM announced its arrival into the Arizona sports betting market through a partnership with the Cardinals and the Gila River Hotels and Casinos. Under the partnership BetMGM will open a sportsbook at the Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with a targeted launch date in time for start the 2022 NFL season.
Opening on time for the 2022 NFL season could be key, as State Farm Stadium is scheduled to host the Super Bowl in February, 2023.
BetMGM also plans to open sportsbooks at all the Gila River Hotels and Casinos locations in the state.
When sports betting was legalized and regulations created in Arizona earlier this year it established 20 mobile and retail sports betting licenses. This included 10 licenses for the state’s professional sports teams and their venues.
Arizona began accepting sports betting license applications at the end of July. The application period closed earlier this week and licenses will begin to be awarded on August 27. Arizona had previously announced September 9 as a planned launched date for sports betting in the state. That also happens to be the night the 2021 NFL season kicks off.
State Farm Stadium may be the first professional sports venue in the state with a sportsbook but they will be far from the last. Several other teams and venues have also announced plans to open on-site sportsbooks.
Some of them include Barstool Sportsbook at the Phoenix Raceway, Caesars Sportsbook at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field, FanDuel Sportsbook at the Phoenix Suns’ Footprint Center, and DraftKings Sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale, host course of the PGA’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.