Online Gambling Arizona: Is Online Gambling Legal in Arizona in 2026

The legal status quo in Arizona

Online casino gambling not legal in AZ - Only only online sports betting

The Arizona department of gaming oversees all gaming activity with the state of Arizona. Online casinos are not currently legal in Arizona and it does not look like this situation will change any time soon. However, as of September 9th 2021, online sportsbook gambling will become legal within the state of Arizona along with online Keno and lottery-based draw games.

Social and sweepstakes casinos

If you really crave slots, the legal options within Arizona are limited to social and sweepstakes casinos. Both of these can legally be played online and have the option to play numerous slots. Social casinos offer the option to play against friends and win ‘coins’ (not real money) which can be exchanged for prizes. Sweepstakes casinos work in the same way, but the ‘coins’ won can be exchanged for real cash prizes instead.

Sports betting in Arizona - about to get the go-ahead...

September 9th 2021 is the date all keen sportsbook gamblers are waiting for. Providing you are over 21 years of age, on this date online sportsbook gambling will become legal in the state of Arizona. This development has been in the making for over five years and will be welcome news for all sports fans out there. This date also coincides with the start of the NFL season, meaning that online sportsbooks should take off with a bang as fans are finally able to place a bet on their team from their mobile device in the comfort of their own home.

With over twenty-five applications made for sports betting licenses, it appears that Arizona will be well equipped with sportsbook operators. The largest operators who are expected to gain licenses include BetMGM and Draftkings, who are also expected to operate fantasy sports gaming online which will be made legal in Arizona on August 28th 2021. Potential sportsbook users are able to download apps and register to use sportsbook operators from this date, but won’t actually be able to place bets on sporting events until 9th September. Still, at least this means that there will be no hold ups registering for sites or slow speeds as everyone tries to download the app at once. With a couple of weeks from site launches until legalized sports betting, the Arizona department of gaming will be hoping everything goes smoothly.

Legal sportsbooks have many advantages over illegal betting sites, which should ensure that hesitant residents of Arizona are more inclined to place sports bets once it is legal to do so within the state. The legal sportsbooks will be far more secure, protecting personal information and winnings from hackers and cybercriminals. Legal sportsbooks are usually far more user friendly, with better odds and often with an app, so the entire experience will be smooth and seamless.

We have compiled a comparison table for recommended operators from those we know have applied for a sportsbook license, which will help you make an informed decision regarding who to bet with when the time comes.

Casino gaming in Arizona is land based only

Although land-based casinos are legal in Arizona, they are all Indian gaming casinos. With 26 casinos owned by 16 tribes, the total annual gaming revenue is estimated to be around $2 billion, which ranks Arizona as the fifth largest Indian gaming state.

Tribal casinos on Native land are the only legal casinos within the state of Arizona. This is due to the specific laws governing Tribal land and the agreement of ‘compacts’ with the Arizona state government - these compacts give tribes exclusive rights to operate slots and casino gaming.

These laws only apply to land-based casinos and online casinos remain illegal throughout the state of Arizona. This does not appear likely to change at any time in the foreseeable future although as we have seen above, online sportsbook gambling has been legalized after a lengthy five-year process.

The only types of gambling which are legal within Arizona are:

• Amusement gambling, including arcade games and fairground prizes
• Social gambling, for instance a Poker game inside someone's home
• Regulated gambling like bingo and state lotteries
• State fair gambling which is self explanatory
• Charity gambling - tombolas or raffles in aid of charity
• Tax exempt organization gambling
• Historical society gambling

As we can see, online casinos do not fall under any of these categories and therefore are not legal within the state. To play slots or table games, the only option is to play in either a social casino or a sweepstakes casino. Neither are ‘real money’ casinos although new sweepstakes casinos will allow you to exchange ‘sweeps’ for cash prizes. In general, social casinos allow winnings to either purchase in-game extras or other prizes which do not include cash.

Online poker in Arizona - not legal yet...

Online poker is not legal within the state of Arizona, although many sites will try to convince you that there is a way around this. The reality is that any online poker site will not be licensed within the state of Arizona. Although the site may have a license held elsewhere, this would fall into the category of ‘offshore gambling’ which is also illegal within Arizona.

Sites may be regulated and licensed, which does offer a level of protection for you, the player. However, if there is ever an issue, you may find it more difficult to resolve - knowing you are gambling illegally, there is not much you are able to do if you suddenly find that you cannot withdraw your winnings or you have a serious complaint. After all, drawing problems to the attention of the Arizona department of gaming is also drawing attention to the fact that you have been gambling illegally.

Fantasy sports gambling in AZ - coming to your screen soon!

In line with sportsbook betting online becoming legal on September 9th 2021, fantasy sports betting will also be able to commence from this date. The Arizona department of gaming will oversee licenses for fantasy sports betting although fantasy sports betting takes a different format to that of traditional sports betting.

In fantasy sports, you don’t bet on the outcome of any sporting events. Instead, players create a fantasy sports team and compete against others to win money. You can also place bets on fantasy teams that other players have created and win money depending on how that fantasy team performs. There are many different types of fantasy sports played, with some running over several games or even a season.

Fantasy sports betting can become very involved and although it has been popular for many years, betting on fantasy sports has only recently become mainstream. Now that fantasy sports betting will soon become legal on Arizona online gambling sites as they are for Delaware internet gambling. Please take a look at our comparison table for recommended operators.

Social casinos in Arizona are gaining in popularity

Social casinos have always been legal for online gambling Arizona - as with online gambling Colorado - as they are not ‘real money’ casinos. Instead, with a social casino, players compete to win more ‘coins’, which can then be exchanged for ‘in-game’ bonuses or for offline prizes. Sweepstakes casinos are run in the same way but players can exchange ‘sweeps’ for cash prizes.

Social casinos have gained popularity in recent years due to the prevalence of online gambling. They allow players to compete against real life friends, and social casinos often have excellent welcome bonuses. In addition, players can continue to play for some time without having to deposit any real money which also means they are popular with slots players who are playing for fun.

With sportsbook betting becoming legal within online gambling Arizona laws shortly, some may be wondering whether the popularity of social casinos will decrease. This is doubtful, as online gambling AZ in a casino setting, playing slots or other table games, will still not be legalized and keen slots players are likely to still enjoy playing these types of games in social casino settings.

Social casinos which have seen increasing popularity in Arizona recently include:

1. Playgila
2. Slotomania
3. Winstar Social Casino
4. Hard Rock Social Casino

Other betting options for online gambling in Arizona - watch this space

Lotto

The Arizona lottery is incredibly popular and has been since its inception in 1981. With a mission statement which pledges to support public benefit programs in Arizona by maximizing revenue in a responsible manner, the Arizona lottery has ensured its continued popularity. Most lottery games are in-state games so that Arizonians contribute to their own state programs.

Bingo

Online bingo is not legalized in Arizona and there are no plans to do so.

Horse racing and Esports

Horse racing betting, along with Esports gaming, will not be legalized for Arizona online gambling until September 2021. At this time, all sportsbook betting online will be legalized and many sports fans are eagerly awaiting this date.

Editor’s recommendation - BetMGM comes out on top as the best operator for Arizona

BetMGM, the sports betting division of MGM resorts international, is already a well-known operator. It has been confirmed by the Arizona department of gaming that BetMGM have applied for, and been granted, an online sportsbook license. Players are able to register on the website from now, with the grand opening taking place on 9th September 2021.

Reportedly, BetMGM are in talks to partner with the Gila River Indian Community. This community already owns physical casinos and have recently started an online social casino, which has excellent reviews. If BetMGM and Gila River decide to make their partnership official, players would potentially have the opportunity to play in the online social casino and bet on sporting events all with the same operator and via one website, which would make for a seamless experience.

BetMGM have good reviews from other users in states where they already hold online gaming licenses and their customer service has also been complimented. When the site goes live in September, BetMGM will hold one of ten licenses currently granted for online gambling AZ and based on our extensive reviews, is an exceptionally strong contender for the title of ‘best operator Arizona’.

What does the future hold for betting and gaming in Arizona? 

As we have discussed above, there are significant changes planned to the Arizona online gambling laws, as there are for gambling in Connecticut, in the very near future. With sportsbook betting and fantasy sports betting being legalized from 9th September 2021, it will be one of the biggest changes in Arizona online gambling law that Arizona has seen for many years - and other legal gambling states may well follow soon.

There are no current plans to change any of the gambling laws for online casino betting though which will be a disappointment to some players who prefer traditional casino games to betting on sporting events. It took five years for the bill regarding online sportsbook gambling to be passed into law and there have been no bills entered for consideration regarding online casinos. This means that even if such a bill was entered into discussion, there would be no change anytime soon.

Conclusion - a win for sports fans!

In conclusion, the new laws for Arizona online gambling being passed in September, although not such good news for those who would prefer to play casino games online, will be welcomed by sports fans. With no current plans to make online casino gambling legal within the state of Arizona, social casinos and sweepstakes casinos remain popular and are gaining more players daily.

For sports fans, with the legalization of online sports betting from September 9th this year including fantasy sports, even those who prefer to bet on different types of sport will be happy with the potential for winning some real money online.

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