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First Sports-Book Partnership Revealed; More Coming To Arizona

Recent action by lawmakers means Arizonans can expect state-sanctioned sports gambling to soon join cannabis on the list of recent taboos made legal.

Gov. Doug Ducey’s expected signature unlocks 20 licenses to run a sports book.

Hear Howard Fischer On The Show With Host Mark Brodie

howie-gaming-compact-20210415.mp3

The licenses get split between Arizona tribes and professional sports organizations. But neither group has sports betting expertise.

Enter companies like DraftKings, which has already partnered with a license-holder to run a sports book at TPC Scottsdale.

Arizona tribes, sports teams and other local venues can make the same kind of deals, said Stacie Stern, government affairs director for the daily fantasy sports company, FanDuel.

“I think there is going to be a lot of choice in Arizona for consumers,” she said. 

Stern expects a handful of companies like FanDuel to compete to operate in the Arizona market.  

FanDuel has partnerships with nearly half the teams from the National Basketball Association and National Football League.

The Show spoke with Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.