Arizona’s mobile sports betting numbers for April have been released and the Grand Canyon State delivered a noticeable betting increase in handle and adjusted gross revenues compared to April 2023. The state also saw the launch of Fanatics Betting & Gaming in April.
Desert Betting
According to the Arizona Department of Gaming, the sports betting handle rose over 22.5% to $656.3 million and 26.1% in adjusted gross revenues to $63.3 million compared to April of last year. FanDuel led the way yet again with a $230.3 million mobile handle which was up from $219.9 million in April 2023. The Flutter Entertainment sports gaming brand delivered $26.4 million in adjusted gross revenue for the month.
DraftKings claimed its familiar spot as runner-up in the Grand Canyon State with a $209.8 million which netted the Boston-based bookmaker $19 million in adjusted gross revenue.
BetMGM took home the bronze medal with a handle of $76.4 million which brought in $8.3 million in adjusted gross revenue for the joint venture between Entain and MGM Resorts. BetMGM’s year-over-year handle was up over four million and its adjusted gross revenue was nearly $1 million higher than April 2023.
ESPN BET has been in the Arizona mobile sports betting market only since November 2023 but showed solid numbers for a relative newcomer, generating a $21.5 million handle and $1.8 million in adjusted gross revenue for April.
However, bet365, even newer to the market having launched in February of this year posted a $30.1 million handle generating $1.8 million in adjusted gross revenue. The British bookmaker partnered with the Ak-Chin Indian Community of Arizona.
Fanatics Launches
The newest arrival to the Arizona sports betting market launched on April 4th after Fanatics joined forces with the Tonto Apache Tribe to enter Arizona’s vibrant digital gaming industry. The company reported a $15.6 million handle which delivered $1.4 million in adjusted gross revenue. However, bet365 wrote the profit off by claiming the same amount in promotional play.
The Tonto Apache Tribe had previously partnered with Churchill Downs and its sports betting platform TwinSpires. However, dismal results caused Churchill Downs to refocus on its core brand, horse racing, and leave the Arizona market at the end of last year.
New Beginnings
Tonto Apache Chairman Calvin Johnson said: “The Tribe’s partnering with Fanatics Betting & Gaming, a national leader in the sports betting space, will allow the Tribe to provide for the general welfare of our tribal members but will also benefit all Arizona citizens.”
Ari Borod, Chief Business Officer, of Fanatics Betting & Gaming, said, “We are thrilled to partner with the Tonto Apache Tribe and Mazatzal Hotel & Casino to bring the Fanatics Sportsbook to Arizona. Arizona is a state with tons of options for sports fans, from baseball to hockey to golf to football to racing, making it the ideal destination for the most rewarding online sportsbook.”
In addition to Twin Spires exiting the market, so too has WynnBET, Fubo Sportsbook, and Unibet. State law allows 10 sportsbook licenses tethered to Native American tribes and 10 tied to professional sports franchises and venues. Arizona now has 17 operators in the market with three licenses available after the departure of Unibet on June 4th.
