Sports betting may be tribal exclusive in Arizona
A second bill proposed in the state would give the tribes exclusivity over the segment.
US.- Sports betting will definitely arrive in Arizona but it’s yet to be determined what regime it will be under. After a first bill was criticised by local tribes, a new one has been proposed to give them exclusivity over the segment.
Senator Sonny Borelli hopes the new proposal will be better received than its predecessor. It would give Indian Nations full exclusivity to offer sports betting, while also encouraging them to co-operate with operators of private commercial businesses.
Tribes would be able to operate kiosks, placing sports betting terminals in bars and clubs. They’d pay rent for the space or agree on a revenue (or profit) sharing agreement with each venues’ owners.
“I want to take advantage of the existing technology with the kiosk,” Borelli said, as quoted by SportsHandle.com. “I want to pick up that kiosk, take it out of the casino and put it in a liquor-licensed bar, a beer-and-wine bar or private clubs, like the Elks or VFW.”
The Senator’s bill doesn’t include mobile wagering, which means the state will need to work on the most convenient form of betting. Should the tribes operate the segment beyond the reservations, punters wouldn’t have to travel all the way to any of their 24 casinos.
“Each federally recognized Indian tribe that has entered into a tribal-state gaming compact pursuant to chapter 6 of this title may operate sports betting as defined in subsection B of this section,” Borelli added. “No other person or entity may operate sports betting, provided, that a wholly owned entity of an Indian tribe shall be considered the same as an Indian tribe and enjoy the same rights under this chapter.
“An Indian tribe that is authorized to operate sports betting pursuant to this section may operate sports betting through kiosks or similar machines that are located at one or more premises that have a bar license, beer and wine bar license or a private club license that is issued pursuant to title 4. This subsection does not allow an Indian tribe to operate more gaming devices than otherwise allocated under either section 25 5-601.2 or any successor tribal-state gaming compact, whichever is then currently applicable to the tribe.”
