Two days after the Arizona Department of Gaming released its final draft of proposed draft rules for AZ sports betting, the department held a final open public comment session on Friday.

All written comments will be accepted by the ADG until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Friday.

The live comment period, which lasted 47 minutes on Friday, was intended to solicit feedback specifically on the updated license allocation language and timeline for event wagering, along with accepting comments on other issues.

After Friday’s session, the ADG is planning to file the proposed final rules to the Arizona Secretary of State's office on Monday, and intends to start the application process immediately thereafter.

If everything is officially submitted on Monday, a final timeline will be posted on the ADG website. The application period will be for 10 days (starting on July 26) with five days to evaluate all applications for licensure.

Marketing for any online sports betting platform awarded a license will be from Aug. 30 through Sept. 8 with a tentative live date the next day.

Daily fantasy sports applications are due on Aug. 6 for those operators that intend to go live on Aug. 28.

Sports wagering or daily fantasy sports rules can be amended or changed up until April 15, 2022.

“I think the governor and the department has done a great job with the latitude of rules and I’m happy with the outcome and the process that has taken place as we continue to move forward,” Ted Vogt, director of the ADG, said on Friday’s call.

Key Provisions in Latest Draft

Some highlights of the 14-page document that was released on Wednesday include:

• If there are more applications than licenses, the ADG will have eight days after the first five to determine and sort out which applications will be approved.
• Commercial, tribal operators will pay 8% privilege fee for retail betting and 10% for mobile wagering.

The third draft of rules were released on July 16.

Partnerships Keep Growing in AZ

The NASCAR/Phoenix Raceway partnership with Barstool announced on Wednesday is the ninth partnership for sports betting in Arizona.

Others who have announced: Phoenix Suns (FanDuel), PGA Tour (DraftKings), Arizona Diamondbacks (Caesars/William Hill), Harrah’s Ak-Chin (William Hill), Phoenix Mercury (BallyBet), San Carlos Apache Tribe (WynnBET) and Quechan Casino Resort (Unibet).

PointsBet on Tuesday announced plans to partner with Cliff Castle Casino Hotel.

Launching for Football Season

The Arizona markets for online sports betting and daily fantasy sports are planning to launch in time for NFL betting when the season begins. The Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 9 in the opening game of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals open the 2021 season in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 12. The hope is that Arizona bettors will have a host of sports betting apps to choose from ahead of kickoff.