Bet365 has launched online sports betting in Arizona through a partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian community, extending its reach in the US to a ninth state.
Players in Arizona can now place pre-event and in-game wagers across a range of sports with Bet365. Additional offerings available to players in the Grand Canyon State include same game parlay, cash out and edit bet.
Bet365’s entrance into Arizona follows launches in Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa, Colorado and, last month, Indiana.
The launch comes ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII, the end-of-season showpiece for American football’s NFL.
“Like Bet365, the Arizona sporting scene is never ordinary and boasts several professional and college teams, earth-shaking, fan-favourite moments and exhilarating championship events,” a Bet365 spokesperson said.
“Just in time for the big game, sports fans in the Grand Canyon State can enjoy the Bet365 experience. This includes market leading offerings like amazing bet boosts, the fastest in-game product and same game parlays.”
As a part of its partnership with the Ak-Chin Indian community, Bet365 will make a $1.0m (£791,664/€927,896) contribution to the tribal organisation. These funds will be used to support local initiatives focused on tribal members.
Ak-Chin Indian community chairman Robert Miguel welcomed the partnership. He said it will benefit bettors in the state as well as members of the Ak-Chin Indian community.
“We are excited to partner with Bet365 and appreciate its charitable contribution to the community and vital services for Ak-Chin members,” Miguel said. “With Bet365, we will be able to provide our customers a premier experience, no matter whether they visit our sportsbook in-person or online.”
Can Bet365 challenge DraftKings in Arizona?
Bet365 enters Arizona after the state set a new monthly handle record in November. During the month, players spent $713.6m on sports betting, up 3.3% from the previous record set in March 2022.
Some $705.7m was wagered online and $6.1m at retail sportsbooks. A further $1.8m was bet with limited event wagering operators in Arizona.
Revenue, however, was 45.9% lower than $37.5m in November 2022 and 38.5% behind $33.0m in October. Online betting revenue hit $19.9m, retail revenue $338,476 and limited event wagering $96,986.
DraftKings and partner Crown Gaming are the leaders in the online market. In November, the partnership heralded online revenue of $9.7m from $229.4m in wagers.
FanDuel took more bets, processing $249.3m in online wagers, could only post $7.7m in revenue. The only other online operator to post more than $1.0m in online revenue was Bally Interactive, which hit $1.9m from $91.7m in wagers.
